Unchangeable
by Enaty
Summary: When all is said and done, the only thing that's left is getting on with life. That's exactly what Leon and D are planning to do now, after Yellowstone Park. Only - what does "getting on with life" mean in their case?
1. Introduction

Introduction Unchangeable

**Title**: Unchangeable

**Author**: Enaty

**Rating**: T for now, M in the later chapters

**Series**: Interspecies Communication Problems, Part Four

**Warnings**: Violence, sex, Leon's language, another pregnancy (all good things come in threes), adult themes

And you might perhaps consider reading the first three parts of this series, which you can find here on this forum, but since ff-net apparently doesn't even allow links to their own page anymore, you'll have to add "fanfiction" before the "net":

.net/s/4543601/1/Unwanted

.net/s/4664462/1/Unprepared

.net/s/5010345/1/Unexpected

Otherwise I'm afraid you might not understand much of what's going on.

**Disclaimer**: PSoH original crew

**Claimer**: Dana, Jamie, Leon's colleagues

**Author's** **Notes**: This has been long in the making and I have taken an awfully long time to finally finish this story. Well, for the ones who've been waiting: rejoice, since this also means that this story is long. As in, _long_. Or in LONG.

Now that I've scared a few possible readers away with that statement, I have to say a few things about this story. First, when I wrote "Unwanted", I hadn't yet read Shin PSoH. I didn't know who exactly Taizu was, I just used the name since I had read that he appears in there and is the new Leon, but different to him. I apologise for him not being in character, but since I can't very well change how I described him in "Unwanted" (though perhaps one day, I will rewrite that part), he will be completely different in here, too, so don't flame me for him being not like Taizu, please.

Second, as usual, I'm writing British English. My betas (yes, two now) and I have worked hard to make this as error-free as is possible, but if you find any mistakes, don't hesitate to contact me, also in case you don't understand anything.

Third, we all know what makes an author happy. Honest feedback in whatever form is always welcome and you need not hold it back ;-P

Then, have fun and I hope to hear from you,

Enaty


	2. Game restart

**Game restart**

"So, again, you're going to live in the shop with him, but he agreed to you dating other girls. And cheating on him."

"Jill, for the last time: it's not cheating. We're not a couple anymore, we're just simple friends with a kid and D's totally okay with it and besides, I don't even know if I want to date anyone sometime soon, let alone have another relationship."

"But you're D's mate!"

Leon glared at his best friend, pushing Dana's cart along the sidewalk, while he was pushing Jamie's. "Say, which part of "we broke up" did you not get? I'm not his mate anymore. And he _said_ it's okay."

"I know you split up, but it's still weird and totally not fair to D to go and date other women," she snapped and pushed the cart with the sleeping child into the precinct. "How can you be sure anyway that he meant what he said? Hi Joe."

"Because I believe him, that's why, and now stop going at me for that, you've done that for the last three days and I won't change my mind! And be careful, will you? Dana may not be a baby anymore, but that doesn't mean you can push her up the ramp this hard! Hi Joe." Leon followed her, manoeuvring Jamie's cart carefully up the ramp and into the precinct too. He stopped in surprise when the watchman behind the glass came out to him, beaming.

"Detective Orcot! It's great to see you again. Are you okay again? They said you were wounded pretty badly in that incident, but, boy, you're nothing short of a hero for saving that little girl!"

"He's nothing short of a dumbhead for leaving the NYPD without a safety vest," Jill murmured and bent over to check if Dana was still asleep. They'd been in the playground with the kids, and had then decided to pay the precinct a visit since Jill wanted to talk to the chief about getting her job back. Leon wasn't to be back on duty for another week, but he'd said that he still wanted to make sure his things were unharmed by his long absence.

He hadn't exactly expected that his colleagues would give him a welcome worthy of a real hero. He had, from time to time, fantasised about coming in here and being celebrated for doing his job, but now he found that actually receiving that treatment, it embarrassed him.

"No, Liza, you would've done just the same," he assured his colleague and considered if he would be quick enough with Jamie's cart to escape to his cubicle before she realised that he was fleeing from her. And, just his luck, Jessica was coming down the corridor, too.

"Leon! Man, you scared us all to death when the NYPD called to tell us you'd been shot! Thank god you survived!"

Jill giggled when she embraced the blushing blonde, but kept sending glances around. Eliza noticed them. "Hey Jill, Alex' here today. Shall I go tell him you're here?"

"No, thanks," Jill replied, tensing up. "We just stopped by for a minute so I could talk to the chief, that's all. No need to drag him up here. "

Leon bit back a comment and continued towards their cubicle, still pushing Jamie, which made Jess chuckle. "Say, did you exchange kids or what? But really, they look like they could both be yours," she added, getting a better look at them. Jill and Leon glanced at each other, grinning weakly.

"Yeah, that was what all the mothers at the playground thought, too. They wouldn't believe that they aren't even half-siblings." Leon sighed half when he finally caught sight of his familiar desk. A content feeling settled in him. Yeah, that was just what he needed now. Getting back to work, getting back to a normal life after all that had happened in the past months.

"Leon! Hey, guys, our hero's come home!"

Even if normality seemed to take her time coming back to him.

* * *

The bells jingled as if they wished to announce their arrival, and D responded to their call. Stepping out behind the curtain to the back, he smiled at father and daughter while carefully balancing a tray in his hands. "Did you have a nice morning?" he asked, continuing his way to the tea table. Leon unpacked Dana from her cart and then laid her down in her cradle, which was still standing behind the new curtain. He couldn't bring himself to think of it otherwise.

The girl barely noticed what he was doing, didn't even wake when he undressed her, just sighed a little and continued sleeping. "Yeah, we had a lot of fun. All of the mothers thought Jill and I were a couple."

D smiled gently and poured some tea. "That was to be expected. James doesn't resemble Alex Donovan much."

"You know it's funny how you express that you don't like someone?" Leon grinned at the kami and relaxed back into the sofa. "You never call Alex by his title, like you did with me. Or Jill. You always use his full name."

"His full name would be Alexander Donovan, wouldn't it?" D murmured, but the smile playing around his lips told a different story. Leon's only comment was to roll his eyes and take another sip.

"So, you're all done with the changes in the shop? I mean, it's not like Jill'd complain, but, you know, I think she's pretty stressed all the same… Having Dana for so long didn't exactly relax her."

"I have already arranged matters with Jill. I will be taking James in exchange, at least as long as she doesn't have a day nursery for him," D said and took something from his pocket. "And yes, I am done. If you wish, you can return today. At least Dana could return, if you want to wait another day."

His eyes flickered up to Leon, who was already bending forward eagerly. "No, that's fine. Well, okay, I'll have a look at it, and then I'll decide, but I've got Dana's stuff already packed in the car."

D spread out a map on the table and pointed to it. "This is the parlour, and the corridor where Tetsu's, Pon-chan's and a few other pets' rooms are. I have rearranged the old set-up, I wanted to have our private rooms out of reach for customers. You have to take the corridor to the left, and then you come to Dana's and my room. Here is the staircase to your room." He glanced at the human. "I tried to build it as high up in the shop as I could. Your old apartment was also pretty high up."

"Mm. Can I hear Dana cry from my room?" Leon asked, scrutinising the plan.

"Of course." Both turned towards the cradle as the girl stirred in sleep, having picked up her name, but she kept on sleeping. "She sure is exhausted."

"Yeah, she played hide-and-seek with Jill and ran around the whole time. And then some other, older kids were at the swings with her. Anyway, this can't be the whole shop on this map. What if Dana ends up in strange rooms again?"

D smiled, handed Leon the map and stood up. "I will never be able to map the shop completely, Leon. It is far too mutable for that. I could only fix some parts of it, like our private rooms. But do not worry; so far you have always managed to find her. Do you want to see your rooms?"

Leon looked at the map for another moment before heaving a deep sigh and stuffing it into his pocket. "Yeah, I guess I do. You've got some pet rescue unit, just in case I'll get lost in here despite what you said?"

D chuckled as he swiftly led the way to the new staircase and up towards the door. "I shall send Tetsu after you should you not return by the break of dawn. I am sure he will find you."

"Very reassuring," Leon mumbled and stepped through the door D was holding open for him.

He'd prepared himself for the weirdness of the shop, but seeing more or less his old apartment in there was still quite a shock. Looking closer, he found that not only the view from his windows had changed considerably (there hadn't been trees and a stream in his old backyard), but also the quality of the whole thing was better. No cracks in the walls, nothing. And –

"Hey, you even made a kitchen for me?" he exclaimed, smiling as he stepped inside the small room. It was pretty blank; all D had done was bring some of Leon's old furniture inside, but it was still standing and lying around. "Uh, say, where's my stuff?"

D smiled, unclasped his hands and went to a nearly invisible door in the kitchen wall. "I thought it might be useful to have a small room where you can put the things you do not need."

Leon checked, but his cartons and crates all were in there; even the one that contained his porn collection. He wasn't sure if D knew what was inside, but on the other hand…

He met a raised eyebrow when he turned around and had to hide a guilty grin behind his hand. "Especially the things your child should not catch sight of," D elaborated on what he thought was going to stay in this room. Well, Leon had no objections. He didn't exactly need to explain to Dana what the _Playboy_ was.

"Remember, it's my… well, my apartment," he told D while going back to the biggest room. In his mind he already started furnishing it. There in the corner under the window would be the bed, and beside, in front of the other great window, would be his desk… his stereo and TV could have the place opposite to the couch, which would be left to the door to the kitchen so that he wouldn't have to go far to reach the fridge…

D smiled as he looked at the human, lost in thoughts. "I shall leave you to do with it as you please," he said and hesitated for a moment. "But in case you should need help…"

"I'll call you, D, it's okay," Leon said, still busy arranging his furniture in his mind. "Call me when Dana wakes. Or when it's time for dinner."

"I shall do so." D quietly closed the door behind himself and stepped down the stairs to his own bedroom. He had decided that it was going to be rearranged, too. While Leon was busy with his room, he'd start in his own.

They had a quick dinner when Dana woke again, but she was so tired that she only wanted to continue sleeping afterwards. Leon took her to her room and prepared her for bed, bathing the child. She splashed around with the water happily, making D smile when he entered her room from his own. "Darling, you're getting Leon all wet," he said and looked at the wet shirt clinging to the human's frame.

Quickly he adjusted his eyes back to his child. No, looking at Leon was not a good idea, not at all. "I shall get you a new shirt, if you want," he offered, suddenly feeling out of place here. Leon tilted his head to the side and looked at him.

"Uh, sure, if you want to…"

"I'll be right back," D murmured and left the room; considered taking a shirt out of his own wardrobe and ended up going into Leon's room and getting one out of the wardrobe that was already standing in there with the blonde's things neatly folded inside. He'd done that himself, brought all of Leon's clothes to the new room, and he'd tried to get used to the hurt inside with every item he carried up there.

It hadn't been very effective.

Returning downstairs, D stopped in front of Dana's door and listened, but no, his ears had not played a trick on him. Someone was singing behind that door with a quiet, rough voice.

And the text told very clearly who it was.

"Shoulda known better when I fell for you, shoulda known better than to follow it through. Nevashooda touched, nevashooda kissed, lord knows you didn't insist. Shoulda known better, point-blank range, you hit my heart, bullseye babe, I'm blown apart, I hate that."

"Leon!"

The human turned around and grinned at D's expression. "What? No curse words, nothing, just a song."

"Since when do you sing?" the young kami asked and stepped inside completely. Dana peeked out from under her towel as he handed Leon the fresh shirt.

"Daddy sings for me!" she announced proudly.

"Jill sang for her each evening, and now she wants me to sing, too. Hope you know a few kami children songs."

D shook his head, the amusement only partly covering the sudden pain. "Rock songs hardly are appropriate for a child her age," he pointed out.

"She seems pretty happy with rock songs. Aren't you, sweetie?" Leon smiled and tousled Dana's hair. The child snuggled into him trustingly. D's eyes darkened.

"Sing, Daddy!" Dana claimed and tugged at Leon's sleeve. He smiled lopsidedly and looked up at D.

"See? I don't have a choice. And I don't know that many songs I could sing to her for which you won't kill me."

"I will teach you a few children songs sometime soon," D promised and turned to go into his own bedroom. He could still hear Leon's rough voice continuing the song.

"Nevashooda touched, nevashooda kissed, lord knows you didn't insist. Shoulda known better…"

D smiled at the mirror, seeing his face in there, the mask firmly in place, not showing the feelings boiling underneath. "I hope you will sleep well in your own rooms tonight, Leon," he murmured, before he got into his own bed.

* * *

So... now you can officially start tearing me apart for starting right after the big crash in Unexpected ;-)

Also to BC: Welcome back :-) I originally wanted to write back to you in the next part for Not in Love with You, but I've not gotten around to writing it yet, so... uh... well *scratches her head and is embarrassed* Hope you don't mind... and thank you for returning ^^


	3. Getting Used To It

**Getting Used To It**

Leon appeared somewhere around eleven the next morning, when D and Dana had long since had breakfast and the girl was sitting in her corner, playing with her wooden animals. She didn't ask why Leon hadn't been there, so he took it that D had found an explanation that satisfied her. Or perhaps Dana hadn't even demanded one. He'd slept in back then, too, from time to time.

However, he still had one week to get around, and D was looking at him expectantly. "I would like to open the shop today," he said, and Leon's throat went tight. Knowing he had no other choice, he took a deep breath and spoke.

"Well, then open it. Dana and I can go to the playground. You wanna go to the playground, Dana?"

"Yes!" the girl cried, delighted, and left her toys to crawl into Leon's lap. "With Auntie Jill."

"Auntie Jill can't come today, she's busy with Jamie. But we can go alone, okay?"

Dana considered for a moment, but then the playground won over the shop. "Okay," she said and Leon looked at D. The young kami smiled and nodded. So he set out to dress Dana in her outdoor clothes, and startled when the bells jingled. D swept into the parlour, Leon could hear his steps behind the curtain that protected him and Dana from being seen.

"Welcome to Count D's pet shop. Here we sell love, hope and dreams, anything your heart desires. However, you should be sure that you desire it… We are not to be held responsible if your dream turns into a nightmare."

There was surprised silence, both behind and in front of the curtain. Then the new customer answered, a young male voice. "Ah, I… I'm pretty sure what I want… What do you mean, my dream might turn into a nightmare?"

D's voice was grave. "Sometimes what we wish for is not what we should get, Sir. I will certainly sell you any pet this shop offers. But ask yourself if you really want it."

"I do! I don't care which pet it is, I'll take any! I'm sure that I want one." The voice sounded actually excited at that prospect. Leon wondered if all humans were stupid enough to overhear the danger D's words promised, and decided that they had to be. Else D wouldn't have so much business.

Emerging from behind the curtain, he grabbed his own jacket. "D, we're off," he called towards the back and the kami waved him off, already busy with his new customer. The blonde turned his head away. He had to accept what D had to do, but that didn't mean he had to approve of it.

"C'mere Dana, let's go and leave Bàbà to his shop, okay?" His daughter smiled up at him, obviously happy to have her daddy to herself for another day. That somehow made the thought of the hapless customer less depressing.

* * *

Much to Leon's relief, they were almost alone in the playground. There were only three other women with their children, all middle-aged and not likely to disturb him and his baby.

Yet he still got company when he finally sat down on a bench to watch Dana building another sandcastle. She still loved doing that, but lately she insisted on doing it alone. Leon was content to watch, although he felt quiet sadness creep up in his heart watching his child growing up. She was so old already. She had never been a real baby, not while he knew her. Two years with his child had been stolen from him, and then another five months in which he'd been away from the shop or comatose…

The seagull startled him at first, but then he laughed and searched his pockets for something – bread, maybe. Was bread okay for seagulls?

He caught Dana's attention when he started to feed the seagull and she came running, wanting to do it herself. Leon obligingly handed the bread over to his child and then watched, fascinated, as a whole flock of seagulls gathered around her, making excited noises whenever she baby-babbled with them. For a second, it felt strange. Dana suddenly became D's child. Not Leon's child anymore. No human child would have been so calm amidst a flock of seagulls fighting for food. Yet Dana was happy – a little bit irritated when the birds threatened to rip the bread from her small hands, but she was…

"Dana, let's go home, okay?" Leon didn't know why, but he wanted to feel Dana in his arms – wanted his child back with himself. The relief that washed over him when he had her small, warm body in his arms was ridiculous. But nevertheless, he hugged her tight and held her for several moments, until she began to protest and wriggle around.

Then he wandered home, deep in thoughts. Dana was content to be carried and didn't demand his attention, so all he had to do was greet some neighbours like Mrs. Chang, who also told him that she planned to invite the Count for tea. In his mind, Leon added "gossip" to the tea and tried not to sigh at the prospect of D getting involved with the Chinatown crowd again. Not that he actually had something against those guys, but they were just too curious for his taste. If D's true being was supposed to be a secret, blessing whole Chinatown with his presence wasn't the best of ideas in Leon's opinion. But that was just another point on which he and D differed.

He still dutifully relied the invitation during lunch, then went to his room while D brought Dana to bed to have a midday nap. Looking around the parlour, he considered opening the shop again, but instead went up the stairs to Leon's new room. The knock at the door was quiet, but Leon heard it all the same. "Come in!" he called and D entered with a tray with tea he'd quickly made to have an excuse. He set it down on the desk and looked around in the room. The bed was done, and Leon had managed to place his old, worn couch opposite to where his TV and stereo stood, both yet on the floor, although the radio was on.

"Are you satisfied with it?" he inquired, coming over to Leon and looking into the carton with books he was just unpacking and stuffing into the shelf behind the door.

"You want some of them?"

Leon held up a book, grinning at him.

"_Last chance to see_?" D read out loud and looked up at Leon. His grin wavered.

"Yeah, bought it some years ago. It's about animals which might die out soon. So the author went and had a look at them before they do."

D cast a look around the room in search of a place to sit. Leon's desk and bed were taken up by the tea tray and the various computer parts standing and lying there. Leon had put some of his books in one of the shelves, but the crate was still pretty full and other crates were taking up the couch.

Finally he settled down on the bed, pushing some of the computer parts aside carefully, trying not to comment on the mess. Yesterday this had been a nice, empty room. Yesterday. "Would you pour us some tea or would you prefer to drink it cold?"

Leon did as he was told and handed one cup to the kami before he sat down on the floor again.

"Dana made some seagull friends at the playground today," he said, looking at D's face. He hid his smile behind his cup.

"I really do hope you didn't let her feed them."

"Uh…"

The kami sighed and placed his cup on the saucer Leon had handed him, too. "Leon, do we really have to go through all the lectures about the results of humans feeding animals again…?"

"No."

The human did look contrite, so D let it be. "Thank you for taking her to the playground, though. I got a lot of work done in the meantime."

Leon snorted, eyes sparkling bemused. "D, I'm her dad, remember that? It's my job to do such stuff. Not every guy's like Alex, not every guy leaves the responsibility to the mother."

D sipped his tea. "Talking about Alex Donovan, how is Jill doing?"

"Okay. She talked to the chief. He said if she's got a place for Jamie, he'll take her in again next week. And since you're gonna to take care of him…"

"And you?" D inquired softly, setting his teacup down. Leon played with his.

"I talked to him, too. And I could start with Jill. Next week."

"Then I will ask Lin-san to babysit."

"No way!" Leon rose hastily and strode over to D. "No way that little bitch comes near Dana ever again! I thought you'd told her to leave and never come again."

"I did, yes. But I am also not almighty. How am I expected to care for two children and the pets and the shop all at once?"

"But not Shao Lin!" Leon argued. "Take anyone, hell, I don't care who it is, but not her!"

"And who else should do it? She is perfect, she already knows she cannot expect anything to happen, plus she won't tell anything because then I will tell her mother that she spends the time baby-sitting. Be reasonable, Leon," D tried to convince the blonde, but Leon's temper hadn't become any better, at any time in his life.

"No, no and no! What about the pets? Why don't you make them care for the kids? It worked just fine with Dana, didn't it?"

"But James is not Dana and Dana has changed, too. She has been in the care of a human for the past weeks, I cannot expose her to the shop again as I used to do. We have seen what this leads to."

D's eyes were dark and sad. They shut Leon up more effectively than any insult the kami had ever screamed at him. Hesitantly he extended a hand and laid it over D's, which were clasped in his lap.

"D… are you really okay with it? I mean, I know we talked about all that before we came back to LA. But I really wanna know if you can't deal with it, any of it, no matter if it's about Dana or me."

D smiled at that; his eyes lit up a bit. He unclasped his hands and wrapped them around Leon's. "I'm fine, Leon. Truly, I am. Do not worry. I will come to terms eventually, as will you."

Leon took his hands away and averted his gaze. "Yeah, guess we will," he murmured.

D rose and brushed off his cheongsam. "I will call Lin-san tomorrow and arrange for her to take the children at certain times, starting next week. Perhaps in the afternoon, when Jill has taken Jamie home again?"

Leon sighed deeply, then he conceded defeat. "Okay, you win. But only three days a week. Deal?"

D hesitated for a moment. Then he smiled and nodded before leaving Leon to unpack his things.

* * *

They spent that day and the first half of the next day completely in the shop, although Leon didn't know what D was doing. He for his part was busy arranging his new rooms. He would have to find something for the walls. Animal posters had been an option when Dana had visited regularly, but now… perhaps a nice car. D couldn't say anything against cars, could he? Or a bike. Yeah, a nice Harley.

After lunch he played with Dana while listening to D on the phone. He was arranging the shop's business via telephone now, giving customers appointments. Leon smiled when he wrote them down with beautiful Chinese characters in a little notebook. "So, you're finally starting to use modern technology?" he teased the kami, who glanced at him with half a smile on his face and then dialled another number. All Leon understood were the words "Shao Lin".

Interested in this call, he scooted closer to the phone with Dana on his lap, who was at the moment quietly doing a puzzle, muttering to herself and not needing his attention. D smirked at him and then turned his attention back to the phone, twittering something in Chinese, which sounded polite, but inviting. Leon wrinkled his brow. "Hey, she's gonna baby-sit, not become a family friend!" he called and D changed to English.

"Lin-san, please excuse me, but the Detective is rather jealous when I'm speaking Chinese with you, I fear," he said sweetly and Leon growled. He didn't dare say more; who knew which revenge D would take then?

"Oh no, Lin-san, I promise that he will behave himself. You have nothing to fear from him. Would you like to come over to make arrangements about the days when you will be taking Dana in your care? You can come at once, if you want to."

Leon tried to pierce D with looks, but the kami only smirked and said goodbye to Lin, before he glided over to Leon and bent to Dana. "Dana, my darling, what do you think about playing with Lin-san again some days a week?"

The girl looked up in confusion. "I like playing with Daddy better," she said and the human grinned triumphantly. D tried not to roll his eyes. "I know, Dana, but Daddy will have to work next week again, and I too, as well as Auntie Jill. So while we work, will you play with Lin-san?"

Dana wrinkled her brow and sighed deeply, causing Leon and D to look at each other, trying not to laugh. Dana was too cute when she imitated the grown-ups.

"Okay," she agreed and then perked up. "Daddy, I wanna see your room!"

D's look became warning. Leon grinned broadly and hoisted her up on his shoulders. "Okay, sweetie, then we'll go to my room now."

"Yeah!" Dana called and patted her little hands on Leon's head. "Run Daddy! Run, run like the wind!"

Much to the kami's amusement, the blonde complied and ran down the corridor, jumping up and down from time to time, which made Dana squeal with joy every time. So strange…

He only arrived upstairs when Dana had already commented on the new apartment and was busy exploring. D stepped up beside Leon and looked at their child. "Shao Lin will come tomorrow around three o'clock," he informed the human quietly. "You can take Dana to the playground again should you wish not to meet her."

Leon looked unsure, but then he sighed and made a decision. "No, D, I wanna get some facts clear, and I at least wanna see her one time before she starts baby-sitting Dana. I mean, I don't know anything 'bout her. Not even what she does for a living."

"Studying French and Spanish," D replied flat out and moved to sit on Leon's chair, from which the computer parts had been removed and arranged into a working computer at the desk. "Yes, of course, you only ever met her with her mother."

"Or lounging around in the shop," Leon added and sat down on his bed. D smiled at him, mismatched eyes peeking out behind the curtain of dark hair.

"She is not half as bad as you think. Not every child is like its mother or father. Well, in this case, Shao Lin is indeed much more like her father," he said, pensively. "He is a very quiet man… Indeed, it is nothing short of a miracle that they should be such an important family around here. Of course they have great ancestors, but still…"

Leon regarded him with amusement. "And it never got up for you that he might be a big guy in the triad?" he asked ironically. "You know, that's usually what keeps the families big over here in America."

That earned him a glare from D, but the eyes darkened further. "No, he is not at all the kind of man who could achieve any power in the triad. Believe me, Leon, I _know_ people," he added, seeing the human open his mouth to protest. "And when I say know, I mean, know the depths of their hearts. Mr. Shao doesn't have the strength of will and heart to pursue his goals via the triad. No, that would be his wife, but as a woman her chances to gain power aren't too great. Not in the traditional Chinatown of Los Angeles."

"Well, everything's got a first time," Leon said, waving that argument off. "I for my share can believe that they're up to their heads in nasty business. That Mr. Chen or whatever his name was, or that old book guy, they looked like they've got their hands in some strange business, too."

He made D laugh with that and the eyes lightened up again. "Mr. Chen is a nephew of Mr. Chan, and yes, both are members of the triad, but not very important ones, as far as I know. If you are talking about Mr. Fa, I cannot say how much he knows about Mr. Chan's business, but they are close friends. Leon, it is not unusual to in some way or the other be involved in triad matters. It is just like in Sicily, the mafia is important for the land, for they take care of things the government is too weak or too far away to take care of. It is not necessarily bad."

"Oh, and that's why they kill so many people and have gang wars with the Afro-Americans and stuff?" the human countered. D sighed.

"Of course that's not good, but I'm afraid it is just a consequence. Chinese people are just the same as other people. They wish to stay where their traditions are honoured and respected. Why do you think there are Chinatowns, or Irish quarters in the bigger cities? America is just a big melting pot, and everyone feels free to follow his own traditions, with less to no regard to other customs. That is the American Dream, to be free to do as you like."

"And your people?" Leon asked, looking at D intently.

The kami looked at Dana, who had just reached the book shelf and was diligently taking one book after the other out of it. A smile quirked around his lips. "Well, as far as I know, we are happy as long as we are amongst animals, and our number was never so great either. Our customs and traditions were killed along with us, and what remained is nothing we have ever shown humans anyway. Does that answer your question? Dana, darling, what are you doing there? I think Leon put those books in the shelf for a reason."

He stood up and walked over to their child while Leon remained seated on the bed, watching him thoughtfully. There had been no sadness in D's voice, nor anger or hatred, as he talked about his species' fate. Something had indeed changed; changed them both and yet, brought them apart.

He was going to find out what it was. Sooner or later, but he'd find it out.

* * *

"You are very quiet this evening, Leon," D remarked only a few hours later while they were having dinner. His eyes looked at the human questioningly. "Is it because of what I told you? I assure you, I did not mean to…"

"No, it's not about that," Leon cut him off, though he of course was thinking about what D had told him. "I was thinking that maybe Jill could come over to have tea with Lin as well. Would be good, seeing that Lin's probably going to take care of Jamie also, wouldn't it?"

"I want Auntie Jill to play with me!" Dana cried out and managed to throw her fork into some corner of the kitchen. Since they were having spaghetti with tomato sauce, it left a nice red trail on the white floor.

"Score," Leon remarked dryly and got up to get a towel. "Very clever, Dana. You do that in my kitchen once and I swear, you're gonna wear a napkin again."

"I don't want a napkin! I'm a big girl! I have my own bed!" Dana protested and D shook his head, sighing.

"Well, Leon, you can discuss this with Dana all evening, if you want," he said. "If you don't mind, I would leave the shop in your care for some hours."

Leon looked up from where he was mopping up the tomato sauce and a small weasel took its chance at coming over and licking it up, watched by Tetsu and Pon-chan, who were giggling and enjoying the show from their places at the table.

"So you can do what?" the human asked, ignoring the animals (not only because he didn't want to look at their weird forms, but also because his attention was fixed on D). "Another Janet-thing? Tell me right ahead, please, I might end up having to investigate that case, and I'd rather not."

"Nothing of the sort," D replied swiftly. "I only want to go to the ocean and say hello to some old friends."

One moment of looking into each other's eyes. Then Leon turned and sent the weasel away with a slap. "Okay."

It didn't sound completely convinced. But it sounded at least like he was trying to be convinced that D was telling him the truth.

* * *

D loved the scent of the ocean. He took a few deep breaths, taking in as much of the salty air as he could manage, letting nature soothe and calm him. Yes, he had known it wouldn't be easy to live with Leon after all that had happened. He had also known that the problem wasn't Leon himself, but the deep, heavy sadness that took hold of him whenever he looked at the human. He had never experienced such grief before. But then, what had he expected when he made sure Leon wouldn't have to suffer for being his mate anymore?

The cry of a seagull made him look up at the dark sky, where the white outline made a sharp contrast. D smiled and responded to the cry, called for the seagull and she came willingly, landed on D's outstretched hand and looked at him with dark black eyes. "Hello, pretty," the kami said softly. "How have you been?"

And while she started telling him about what had happened in this corner of the ocean in the past months, D walked along the shore line, drank in the air and felt his heart both heavy and light in his chest. They had managed so far; they would manage whatever the future would bring, too. Somehow, they would find a way. There was one.

The seagull stopped talking and pecked her head to the side. "You've got a nice ring there, Count," she remarked, looking at the silver band that adorned his hand.

"Yes," D agreed. "It is indeed beautiful, isn't it?"

"The human gave it to you?"

"He did," D answered simply.

She favoured him with a thoughtful glance. "But he is not your mate anymore."

"He is not."

"Why then?"

"To protect me." The heaviness in his chest increased, accompanied by the feeling that a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"You are mourning," the seagull said and flapped her wings. "Do not worry, Count. The pain will pass, one day. Meanwhile you can come to the colony. I bet we can take your mind off this human."

The black eyes sparkled, and D easily agreed, following her to the colony. The ring on his finger felt heavy and reassuring, and he again closed his fingers around it. Losing it wouldn't do.

* * *

Leon and Dana were both in bed when he returned home in the middle of the night, and D quietly closed the doors after having checked on them. He was looking forward to what the tea with Shao Lin would bring.

* * *

**A/N:** Yuho, there we go. Second chapter. Any thoughts, comments or something of the sort?


	4. Back to Business

**Back to Business**

It was Leon who was up first although D had long since ceased sleeping in. He simply couldn't afford that anymore, not with a child and the shop to care for. But when he heard the voice of his ex-lover from Dana's room around her usual wake-up time, he decided (still half asleep) that he deserved some more sleep.

And so he finally ended up having to hurry to get ready for tea, all the while snapping at a laughing Leon, who was deadly amused by the fact that the few minutes more had become six hours. He was still laughing when he went to open the door for Jill. "What's gotten into you?" his friend asked, staring at him in confusion.

"He's such a late riser, I can't believe Dana managed to wake him up every morning!" Leon couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up. Not even D's glare did anything to change that when he finally emerged from his bedroom. "I knocked at his door seven times, and he still didn't hear me! If it'd not been for Tetsu, he'd still be asleep in his fluffy bed."

"Leon!" D hissed, considering slapping the human just to stop his laughter. Luck was on Leon's side; another knock sounded through the shop and announced Lin's arrival. They exchanged some polite phrases and after D had introduced her to Jill and James, they sat down at the tea table. There was at least one good point to D's lateness: Leon was in such a good mood that he managed to sit at one table with Lin without killing the girl with looks.

Vice-versa, he wasn't as lucky. Lin was polite, even friendly to them, but Leon was mostly ignored by her. Apparently she shared her mother's opinion at least there, for she got rigid and glared when Leon accidentally brushed her leg while reaching out to catch Pon-chan before the raccoon could disappear with a slice of cake.

"No, Pon-chan," he said easily, taking a good hold of the pet. She grumbled and wriggled around, making him laugh. Jill and D exchanged a quick glance. Then the woman hastily asked Lin something to distract the girl. They managed tea like that, but both breathed a silent sigh of relief when Lin left an hour later without having started a quarrel with Leon.

Who still hadn't noticed how angry the girl was at him. "Well, okay, she's really not as bad as her mum," he said, scratching Pon-chan's ears. D guessed that his ignorance of Lin's fury was partly due to his being occupied with the raccoon. He could see how Leon had to concentrate to not jerk away whenever Pon-chan moved, afraid of touching the girl in his lap somewhere else than her head.

"She's nice, yeah," Jill agreed, brow wrinkled. "Though really, she's also pretty stiff, ain't she? Even stiffer than you were, D."

"I take that as a compliment," said kami murmured, smiling into his cup. "I still haven't thanked you properly for taking care of Dana and Leon yet again."

"Taking Jamie is enough, and they weren't that much more work. Well, Leon was actually more work than Dana, but I only had him for a few days."

Leon finally shifted his attention from Pon-chan to his friend and protested, squabbling with her. They continued until it was evening, and then postponed further fights to work next day.

* * *

Leon knew he should have done that already, but he still hesitated in front of it. The door to the Crystal Palace creaked slightly when he finally opened it. He muttered a curse and slipped inside, not wanting to wake the dragon. But she was sitting there, already waiting for him. He recognised Kanan's eyes. His daughter was actually smiling at him.

"It's quite early to turn up here. Wonder what you would've done had I still been asleep?" she asked, her voice holding a tease. Leon grinned and crossed his arms.

"Well, shook you 'til you woke," he replied, making her chuckle.

"The other two are still asleep," she told him, taking care to speak softly. "However, I think Shuko's gonna wake soon."

"I'm not gonna take long."

Leon sat down in front of his daughter and took the time to look at the girl. Truly look at her. Kanan sat still and let him be. The elaborate clothing was probably due to her being such a high mythical creature. Leon didn't know about Chinese mythology, but in every fantasy novel he'd ever read, dragons were the non plus ultra. Couldn't get any better. He supposed that it was mostly the same in Chinese mythology.

Honlon's ears were kind of funny, looking like a fish's fin almost. He extended a hand and touched them. Kanan chuckled. "What? It's just ears," she said, managing to sound disparaging and friendly at the same time.

"Yeah, I know."

Leon didn't let himself get disturbed. His fingers slipped into her black hair. The texture was silken like D's, yet different. Not fine, stronger somehow, as if Honlon's hair was thicker than D's.

"Why do you wear a crown?" he finally asked, touching the cool material the thing was made of. Kanan rolled up her eyes and tried to gaze at it.

"We are a dragon. We have a right to wear one," she answered simply.

"Huh. High society, aren't you?"

Her eyes mocked him. "Not more and not less than the lover of a kami, Father."

The blonde laughed softly. "Yeah, tell that to Q-chan, or some of the people around Chinatown. Don't think they'd agree with you. Besides, now they don't have to worry about that anymore anyway."

"And who cares for them? It's not as if they'd get to know they don't have to care about it anymore," Kanan countered, tossing back her head defiantly, reminding Leon more of D in that moment than of himself.

"Thanks, by the way," he said and sat back on his heels.

Kanan gazed at her hands. "What for? Had you died… let's just say, no one would've been very happy with that outcome." Her voice sounded final. Leon accepted it without protest.

"Okay, and what now? I mean, now that I'm back in the shop… D explained to me. About your influence over me. Our bond. Whatever you wanna call it."

She snorted. "You wanna try to cut it with a knife?"

Leon just raised his eyebrow. Kanan sighed and looked to the side, visibly uncomfortable. Leon could understand her. After all, he wasn't too intent on discussing all this shit either. But if he really wanted to stay here… It wasn't going to work otherwise.

"I can't stop that. You have to shield your thoughts off me. Or you could just accept what you see through my eyes. Then it would be easy."

"Do you want me to see through your eyes?" the blonde asked flat out. Kanan shuffled one foot over the marble floor.

"I don't like fighting with Shuko," she said by way of answer. Leon got the meaning alright and sighed deeply.

"Yeah, me neither. And I don't want to. But I just can't help it. He's driving me crazy with his secrets and everything."

His dragon daughter looked up at him. "But he just keeps them secret because he thinks you don't want to know," she pointed out, sounding sad. More like Junrei.

Leon shrugged helplessly. "Hell, I don't know either if I really wanna know. You tell me. I guess you know all about the shop, don't you?"

"Yeah, of course." For a moment Kanan rolled her eyes before she became serious again. "But it's not the same for me. I'm part of the shop. You aren't. Not like me."

"It's not like I want the world to be."

Kanan pondered that for a moment and then nodded, eyes growing ever sadder. "No, it's not."

"And I'm just a weak human in here."

But to his surprise, Kanan shook her head. "You don't know it, but you aren't. Sure, almost every animal in here could kill you without problems. If I wanted to, I could swallow you in one piece."

"And you don't because?" Leon inquired.

Kanan grinned. "'Cause you're my father, idiot," she replied and the blonde scowled.

"Apart from that, smartass bitch."

"'Cause you'd taste awful."

"Kanan, dammit!"

Slowly Leon began to understand D's exasperation with him sometimes. He also liked to employ those methods to keep the serious talk in check. He was much better at acting upon his feelings than talking about them. But right now, he needed to talk seriously.

Kanan sighed and looked away. "Because the pets like you," she confessed. "Not all, but most of them. They think you're good for the Count. You aren't – you're not a pet. He regards you as equal, sometimes."

Leon hit the floor, hurting his fist and cursing quietly. "But that's not what I want to be!"

"Hey, you think I wanna share a body with Shuko either?" Kanan snapped and glared. "You at least can leave this shop if you're fed up with him! I can only be alone when the other two are asleep, and you can count those times on one hand! So don't you even start pitying yourself just because you can't be the protector you want to be in here! Take what you get or leave it. It's your choice. There'll always be someone who's just better than you are, and the Count's at least a godlike creature, if it helps your inferiority complex."

They glared at each other for a moment. Then the corners of Leon's mouth twitched. Kanan's angry mask broke, too, and they both chuckled in desperation.

"Okay, you're right. I'm pissed. I'm pissed because D's the big one in here. And I'm always just his lover or mate or whatever you pets call that. And not even that anymore. I'm always just the stupid sidekick, the one who's useless." Leon crossed his arms and stared at the dragon. "So. I'll admit it. Any advice, wise dragon bitch?"

"Hey, if you want advice, try waking up Shuko. I'm just the stupid sidekick sister too." Kanan grimaced for a moment. "It's always them the world revolves around. Or Dana."

"Hey, we're not gonna start a pity party here," Leon reminded her, irritated. "And you're a damn dragon at least! I'm just a human, and I know what a human life counts in this shop."

"More'n you'd think. At least where your life is concerned," Kanan countered. "Or Chris's, for example. Just face it – of course it's the Count who this is about. If he wouldn't care for either of you, most of the pets wouldn't either. But he does. So what are you even complaining about?"

"I'm not complaining, I just want to be _useful_! There has to be more that I can do than father D's child and break his heart!" Leon's patience was worn thin.

"Well fine, then go out and prevent the other humans from finding out what's truly going on in here!" Kanan snapped back. "What kind of father are you even? Sitting here and whining about such shit, truly!"

Leon sighed deeply and rubbed his neck. "A bad one, I guess. I'm sorry, Kanan. I didn't want it to turn out like this."

"No one wanted to end up like we did. But sometimes even we mythical creatures don't have a choice. You have one. Hey, you can congratulate yourself on being the first human in a lot of years to break a kami heart. That's something."

Leon glared at her. "Very useful. I'd like to be useful as in 'I can protect Dana from freaking bears'."

"Dana'll soon learn to protect herself from any animal in here. Besides, she has nothing to fear anyway. It's you who should be afraid. As long as you don't know the shop, you're predestined to run into trouble in here."

Leon met her gaze straight on. "You want me to know the shop," he stated.

"It would make a lot of things much easier," Kanan agreed.

The human played with his hands. "It's gonna be hell, ain't it? My job, D and the shop as it is…"

Kanan grinned mischievously. "I thought you like riding a rollercoaster," she teased. "Well, if you go through with it, I can promise you that this is gonna be one hell of a ride. Especially if you take it with me."

* * *

First day at work. It never changed to be strange, coming back to work, whether it was after an extended visit to the hospital or just vacation. And coming into the precinct now, when he'd been in the Crystal Palace not an hour ago – well, it was a leap. From D's very own universe to the normal human world Leon was used to, and it was not entirely pleasant.

He'd wondered sometimes if it was like this for D when he stepped outside into the human world, but now that he was trying to see things at least partly like D did, it was even stranger. His colleagues walking through the corridors, talking to each other about something, telephones ringing, people doing their daily work – he could see now why customers tended to open up in the shop and tell D about their problems. It was like time stopped when you stepped inside this incense.

He'd never looked at his life like that before.

With a little sigh, he shook himself awake again, making Jill look up from a paper she was reading. "You okay?" she asked, brow wrinkled. "You know, I already wondered when you were on time, but you've been silent and doing your report ever since…"

He scowled and looked for something to throw at her, finally finding a rubber (AE: eraser). Jill evaded it, laughing. "Hey, what? It's not my fault if you daydream like a love-sick teenager," she teased.

A pencil followed close, and Leon smiled as he returned to his report. As relaxing as D's world might be on the surface, this was his world, and he was glad to be here.

* * *

He still felt the quiet contentment of doing his own work when he returned to the shop in the evening. But in the door he stopped and tilted his head to the side. "D, what exactly are you doing there?" he asked, nonplussed.

The young kami looked up from his place on the sofa, looking kind of caught. Dana tried to wriggle out of his arms, but he hindered her. "Nothing, Leon, nothing."

"This doesn't look like nothing." Leon carefully closed the door and again took in the picture. Then he suddenly started to laugh. "No, don't tell me – lemme see it!"

With two quick steps he was at D's side and lifted Dana out of his arms to reveal the three braided tails in the dark hair. The kami's hands darted up, trying to open them as quickly as possible, but Leon was already down with laughter. "What did you do, D? Did you teach her how to braid her hair? Oh my god, you look ridiculous!" he gasped. Dana joined in his laughter, squealing in joy. D blushed.

"At least my hair doesn't look like I just put a wet mop on my head," he snapped and stood abruptly. "In contrast to other people in this room."

"Bitch," Leon murmured, still chucking, and pulled something out of his pocket, a crumpled piece of paper. D's brow wrinkled immediately seeing it, but Leon went into the kitchen and used two magnets to fasten it on the fridge.

He didn't call D curious as a cat for nothing. The kami followed immediately, looking at the slip wordlessly, then turning to Leon. "My schedule for the next few weeks. Jill's, too," he said, opening the fridge and looking around inside for something to eat. D quickly set Dana down on her chair.

"Now what did I get you your own fridge for?" he scolded.

"Don't have time to go shopping, you know that," Leon mumbled around a bit of cheese he'd secured. The kami rolled his eyes.

"Of course not. This was your first day at work, and you had time enough the past days."

"I was still getting my room done."

"Leon." D was very stern now. "If we are going to live together like roommates, there are some rules you will have to adhere. One is that you will do your own shopping. I will not feed you like I used to. Last week was an exception; you had just returned and I understood that. But now you are working and we have to get some order into our lives again."

For a moment the words stung and hurt, Leon didn't understand what D's problem was, suddenly. He'd fed him before, quite happily, and although he'd always bitched about it, Leon had known it hadn't been in earnest.

D gently took the cheese out of his hands and placed it back in the fridge. "Please, Leon. Don't strain the new boundaries yet," he said quietly.

Leon still didn't understand; but if it made D feel better, okay. So instead of plundering D's fridge, he took an evening walk with Dana and shopped for some groceries.

* * *

Slowly, day by day, the first two weeks passed. Leon went to work in the morning with Jill, who handed James over to D and came to pick him up together with Leon in the evening. D arranged for Shao Lin to leave the shop before Leon came home, and both the girl and Leon were grateful for that, although they managed to ignore each other.

Then they had dinner together, but D made sure that Leon cooked every second day. Afterwards Leon would alternately take care of Dana while D went out again to do shop's business, or they would go to one of the rooms. Those were the evenings Leon was kind of afraid of, but as he came to know more of the rooms, he even started enjoying those short trips. With Kanan in his head, it was also much easier to see the pets in their human form, and for some reason it also became easier to accept that those strange-looking guys and girls (some of whom were hot to the point that Leon desperately wished for a cold shower) actually were animals. Dangerous animals, most of the time. D (or perhaps his freaky grandfather) had really put some work into finding monsters for his horror shop.

Finding out that those monsters were curious to meet him was discomforting. It was almost as discomforting as the realisation that he might like D more than he was willing to admit had been, a long time ago. But Leon simply decided that if he'd gotten used to being in love with D, he could also get used to tigers, crocodiles and pets he couldn't even name coming out of their hiding places just to meet him and his daughter, for Dana was just as innocent here as Leon was, only knowing the pets in their human form and having to get used to them in animal shape.

D, however, was careful despite promises that nobody would hurt them: he hadn't permitted them to take those strolls alone, but insisted on being present although Kanan highly resented his presence, saying that she was fully able to take care of both her father and little sister. Leon could understand her, but he was also glad that D came along and cared about what they were experiencing.

It was on the weekend that he suddenly stopped in the middle of a jungle and stared at a tree intently. D, walking in front of him with a tired Dana on his arms, turned and looked at him curiously while Shuko smiled secretly.

"It is a very nice tree. Very old, too," she said and Leon glanced at her.

"Shut up, Shuko," Kanan growled and fought for control. "I hate your damn premonitions! Could you at least keep them out of _my_ head?"

The Count-dragon laughed softly and let her sister take control of their body again. Kanan hissed and tugged at a strand of hair. "I hate it when she does that! She's been talking about this damn tree for three days now!"

Leon hesitated, then he bent to Kanan. "Have you been here before?"

His dragon daughter stopped tugging her hair and glanced around. "Yeah, but that's long ago. Why?"

"I know that tree," Leon said decidedly and saw D's eyes go wide. "I've seen it before, when I was comatose."

Kanan looked pissed. "I didn't want you to see my memories!" she raged. "I just wanted to give you strength!"

"Now, now, Kanan, you were sick yourself. It's no wonder that you transferred some of your memories to Leon as well," D soothed, coming closer again. His posture was tense. "Leon …?"

"This is the tree I saw in my coma," Leon repeated, stepping closer and looking up into the top of the old giant. Unconsciously he smiled as he remembered how much fun he'd had swinging through the leaves. "There has to be an ocean somewhere here, too. First a stream, then an ocean."

He didn't give the rest of their party time to work around that piece of information, he just turned around and started walking into the direction he remembered. It took them hours, three at least, before they finally reached the cliff he knew.

At the sight, Leon felt like Christopher Columbus must have felt at the sight of America. "It's so damn beautiful," he said quietly, stepping up to the rim and looking down on the falling waters. "So damn fucking beautiful…"

The falling waters thundered in the small valley, the air was even thicker with foam here, but also cool and easy to breathe, cleaning his lungs when he took a deep breath. Leon closed his eyes and listened to the thunder echoing in the forest.

D cleared his throat meaningfully. "It is indeed an enchanting sight," he asserted and made Leon smile.

"So this is where you're home, is it?" he asked quietly and felt D step up beside him. Kanan also came to his side, leaning against her father.

"It's as much home as any place on earth can ever be, Leon," the kami replied gravely. "I have never known a "home" in the sense you mean. I'm home where I can be near to earth and her children and orphaned where they are far away."

Leon finally opened his eyes again and smiled at D while he laid an arm around Kanan's shoulders. "I understand why you love it so much," he said softly, causing D's eyes to widen slightly. "It's more beautiful than anything I've ever seen."

"Yeah, yeah, even more beautiful than the Count naked in his bed, we get it. Stop flirting, dammit! You're broken up!"

The adults' eyes snapped to Kanan, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Hello, we're all happy that you're trying to come to terms with the shop, but you don't have to sweet-talk him into believing it's any easier for you than it is," she said impatiently and took a step back. Leon and D looked at each other, insecurity written in both their faces.

It was Shuko who rescued the situation by taking control and laughing out. "Kanan, you're terrible," she said, amused. "Just because you hate "moments". Now look at what you've done, they don't know what to say anymore!"

That of course resulted in a new fight, and Leon had to laugh, too, when D hastily handed Dana over to him and hurried to calm the Honlon sisters. Finally they were quiet again, sulking both. D's sigh sounded exasperated. "Now that you've come to your senses again, I suggest heading home," he said, still angry. "I'm sorry, Leon, but we can look for your ocean on another day. It's getting way too late, and although tomorrow is Sunday, we should get back. Dana's already asleep, too."

Leon rocked his little daughter and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Yeah, true. So let's get back home. Anyone here who still knows the way?"

"Ha! Who needs to walk when you've got a dragon?" Kanan exploded again, and before either D or Leon could start to react, she had risen into the air, giving a loud scream. Giant wings spread from her back, the girl-form disappeared and was replaced by the giant three-headed dragon, hovering in the air over the waterfall.

"Honlon!" D reprimanded, but Shuko merely bent her head towards them and looked Leon in the eyes.

"If you want, we shall carry you home, Leon," she said.

The blonde gulped, looked at the flustered D… and nodded. "Okay. Okay, let's do it. How do you ride a dragon, anyway?"

He almost screamed when Shuko opened her mouth and carefully took him up, but he remembered the child in his arms in time and kept quiet until the Count-sister had placed him gently on their back. D didn't need any such help; he was already sitting there when Shuko set Leon down.

"Here, give Dana to me," he said. "And take a hold of these. Don't worry, you won't hurt her."

Leon looked at the rough scales that stood up where the three heads joined the body and gulped before placing his hands there. But to his surprise, they felt nothing like he'd expected them to; they were more like feathers to the touch, but strong and reassuring.

"Everybody ready?" Kanan called. "Then let's go!"

The great wings started to flap, taking them higher and higher. The air thinned. Leon's breaths became short gasps, but Honlon made sure to stay where he would still be able to breathe. Kanan screamed loudly again, causing uproar in the trees beneath them. Birds of all sizes and forms responded to her call, flying up, too, chattering angrily at the great animal that was disturbing their peace.

"You're alright, Father?" Kanan called back to them, and when Leon replied with a weak "Yes", she laughed. "That's good, 'cause now we're going home!"

And then the great wings beat faster and faster, the speed increased and Leon was really, really glad that D had taken Dana, because he didn't know if he could've managed to keep a hold of her, and he wanted to be worried about D dropping her after all, but the kami was laughing, too, so he just skidded a little bit closer to him and hoped to heaven that he wouldn't get to see the ground before they landed again, because he wasn't sure if he could stand the sight of the earth miles beneath him.

The ride was over only too soon and Honlon carefully came to halt right in front of the door through which they had entered the room this morning. The sun was sinking; the light down here in the jungle was dim and grey already. Leon shakily climbed down from his daughter's back and took a few insecure steps before he shook his head like a wet kitten and glanced at the three sisters watching him with sparkling eyes.

"One hell of a ride, not kidding," he said. "People, that was…"

"Let's repeat that sometime soon," Shuko suggested with a twinkle.

Leon took a deep breath, smiled and nodded. "Sure thing, kid."

* * *

A/N: Aaaah god, I took an awfully long time to update this time -.- Sorry for that, folks. I've been away from my computer and internet and didn't have the files when I finally got to a working internet computer... I apologise...


	5. The Seagulls' Message

**The Seagulls' Message**

"Hey, will you wake up now?"

Someone was banging on his door quite loudly, and D surfaced from the dream he'd just had, twitching and trying to breathe deeply. He could still feel the dampness on his cheeks, and he half-consciously dragged his sleeve across them as he raised his head from the cushion.

The one making such noise wouldn't let up. "D! Wake up! I've gotta go to work!"

Those words finally startled the kami awake. He jumped out of his bed, hurrying to the door and letting Leon and Dana in. His eyes went wider than ever as he stepped inside D's bedroom. "What the fuck did you do?" he exclaimed, sounding shocked at the sight. D smiled and walked back to his bed bare-footed, relishing in the feeling of the soft grass on his skin.

"I figured since you didn't sleep in here anymore, I could change it as well, according to my wishes," he answered.

Leon gazed around. "Boy, this looks like Mowgli's cave!"

Dana struggled and he set her down. The girl immediately ran to some bushes and disappeared between them. "Dana!"

D sniffed, a little miffed, and the human hastily amended. "No, I don't mean it looks bad, just… where did your bed go? Or are you telling me you're sleeping on the floor now?"

The young kami smiled, amused, and went to the giant tree in the middle of the room. Leaves and vines were hanging down, forming a curtain which he now parted to reveal the bed hidden behind. Leon came curiously and took a look at the green cave that was D's resting place. "It's… cool, in a way," he said, face showing indecision what to think about this. "Where did Dana go?"

"There is a little pool behind those bushes, and I guess she went there. She likes to play there," D replied, suppressing a huge yawn. He still was tired; but Leon was right, he had to get up. Or did he?

"Where did your other things go? That table with the mirror, or the folding screen and this stuff? Don't tell me you threw those away." Leon looked around, trying to see through the vines and dim light in here.

"Of course I didn't, those are precious antiques." D rolled his eyes and went to another curtain of vines. Pushing it aside, he revealed something that reminded Leon of a walk-in closet, only that it was at least trice as large and more like yet another room in which D's furniture stood, as neatly arranged as if this was his bedroom and not the jungle they were standing in.

"Why did you change it?" Leon looked from the room at D and back. "Didn't you like it anymore? Or – wait a moment, did you change your bedroom when I moved into the shop?"

"No, I didn't." D let the vines fall back also and allowed himself to consider the option of just going back to bed. It'd be okay; there were no customers scheduled for this morning… "I changed it while you were busy with your own room. I felt I had gotten sick of the old design, and I wanted to try out something new."

"It's always been this way? With that heavy furniture and the stuff?" Leon asked, unbelieving. "Even when you were a kid?"

D nodded. "Grandfather arranged it for me. I never felt the need to change anything."

The blonde wanted to say something, blinked and bit his lip. The kami looked at him and then his brow wrinkled. "Dana?" he called. The girl's voice answered from far off, and sudden worry took hold of him. Leon picked up on that and followed as he went through the bushes, not exactly in a haste, but not with his usual regal stride either.

"Tell me please she can't get lost in your bedroom," he muttered, avoiding a twig that snapped back after D had passed it.

"Of course not," D replied sharply. The uneasiness came from elsewhere, and he knew that his child was safe in here; there weren't even pets in his bedroom, none at all. Just nature itself. Still, everything out of the ordinary made him go to his baby and check on her. Just to reassure himself that this last part of his world that hadn't been shattered yet was still intact.

"What's the matter, Bàbà?" Dana turned to them, her fresh shirt already showing some water stains. Her hands were wet, too, and all in all it was quite obvious that she'd been playing with the water. Leon knelt down beside her and looked at the leaves that were in the pool. "I'm gonna make you a ship to play with," he promised.

"Are you free this afternoon?"

Leon turned around, wondering what D had in mind now; what was anyway the matter with the kami today morning? He wasn't a morning person at all, but still, this behaviour was unusual even for D.

"Yeah, why?" A sudden bad feeling made his stomach drop. "Is it-?"

"No, it's not a customer, if you want to ask that," D interrupted, impatient and irritated. "I just need to go to the beach this afternoon. Do you have time now or not? If not, I can arrange-"

"Sure, I'll be home at three." The worried look on his face was enough to raise Leon's hackles. But D didn't tell him any details, just left him there at the pool and went back, assumedly to finally get dressed. Leon shook his head in confusion, told Dana to be careful and then left D's new bedroom. He'd be late if he stayed any longer and he supposed that as long as D was around, nothing would happen to the child.

* * *

It was fine when they started a few hours later after Leon's return, warm, but not hot, and the sun was shining. Dana was left in Honlon's care, who swore an oath not to let her little sister go into any room. Leon wondered for a moment why the kami didn't want to take her along since they were going to the beach, but then cast the thought aside. D'd have his reasons, and as long as he could drive around, he was happy.

D wasn't. "Do we really have to listen to that terrible music?" he complained and fanned himself. Leon only grinned, put on his sunglasses and rolled down his window to snip off his cigarette ashes. The kami raised an eyebrow. "Leon, those ashtrays in cars were invented for a reason," he remarked.

"The government totally sucks, you motherfucker," Leon sang, ignoring him. "Damn, this is so fucking cool!"

"That depends on interpretation. And you are working for the government, if I may remind you," D protested.

Leon put his cigarette back into his mouth. "Yeah, and that's why I'm totally entitled to tell everybody that they suck. D, we should do this more often. With Dana or without, I don't care, but we should do this more often."

The kami opened his mouth, looked at the glowing Leon beside him and shut it again.

When they finally reached the beach, Leon had taken pity on D and turned down the volume, but he was still grinning madly. D daintily closed his fan and left the car, sniffing at his silken blouse suspiciously. "Dana is a poor child, being subjected to this," he sighed. Leon flipped his cigarette into a nearby bin.

"Not better'n not worse than that incense you burn all the time," he replied. D wrinkled his brow. "My incense does at least not induce cancer," he admonished softly as they went towards the rocky beach.

"Gonna die anyway, so who cares of what?"

Leon had said it without thinking, feeling light-headed by the good mood between them, and he didn't realise something was off before D stopped and looked at him for a moment, his mismatched eyes sucking him in. Suddenly his mouth felt dry. "What?"

"Nothing. It's merely that you are so careless with your own life, while most other humans would do anything if they could only preserve theirs," the kami answered and resumed walking. Leon blinked for a few times, cleared his throat and followed him, looking a little miserable all of a sudden. D smiled at him for a second before he again concentrated on walking down the beach.

After a while he stopped and deeply inhaled the air. Leon did the same and wrinkled his brow. "Strange smell down here," he remarked, and D nodded, shading his eyes against the sun.

"There was a colony of seagulls nearby," he said, the worry in his voice now matching that Leon had already noticed when D asked for this trip. He could feel the kami's uneasiness increasing as they moved further along the beach, looking for a sign of animal life, but it was no use. It seemed there weren't even fish in the ocean, and certainly no seagulls in sight.

D's posture was stiff as a stick and a tense expression had replaced his former weariness. Leon lost the last of his good mood at this sight. D shouldn't look like this, like he'd looked when he'd seen his father there at the button…

Obviously the kami knew where they were going, but it still seemed to take a long time to get there. The smell Leon had at first noticed as only a faint, strange component of sea air grew worse, soon choking him, and he was grateful when D silently handed him a handkerchief with perfume. It smelled faintly like the shop's incense and that helped calm Leon's nerves. D didn't take one, anyway.

By the time they had reached what seemed like an enormous cave carved out of the rocks, the smell was so toxic that Leon choked in spite of the handkerchief. D's face had frozen; the only thing alive in there were his eyes, huge and beautiful and terrified.

The smell alone told them what they would find in the cave, but he still made a strangled sound when they stepped inside and saw the dead seagulls, strewn in the cave like chocolate chips on a cake. The kami's face was so pained Leon couldn't stand it. He came up beside him and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. Dammit, he was supposed to be used to grim sights, but this here – all those little, children-like bodies with wings and wide, scared eyes – it was…

His hand shook D out of his shock. The kami whirled around, instantly pushing Leon back. "Get out of here!" he nearly yelled, his eyes wild. "Go, Leon!"

"But, D-!" Leon choked the moment he let the hand with the handkerchief get away from his face. The toxic smell hit him like a hammer; he swayed and only dimly noticed that D snatched him, carried him out of the cave. The sunlight blazed into his eyes, but Leon was too dazed to close them, and the bright light hurt his eyes, his head…

Then he was roughly set to the ground. D was over him, pressing his lips to Leon's, prying them open and breathing fresh air into his lungs. He choked again, spasmed and then vomited. The sunlight grew fainter as he was able to close his eyes and breathe in the scent of the ocean. No trace of toxin in this air, thank god. Thank D…

Slowly Leon moved and sat up clumsily, looking at D. "Okay?" the kami asked quietly, his eyes holding worry.

Leon nodded. "Yeah. Sorry. I mean, thanks. Uh. That was… dammit, I puked on your dress!"

D looked down on his soiled skirt, but he didn't seem overly concerned and even shrugged. "This isn't the first time someone soiled my clothes," he commented dryly and slipped out of the skirt. "I think you should stay here for a moment while I go back…"

"No." Leon grabbed D's wrist and held him back. "Don't, D. I know what you're like, and – please don't."

The kami gently disengaged himself and smiled at the human. "I promise I won't kill you in revenge when I return."

Leon dismissed that with a wave of his hand. "I don't care for that, D. I know what you get like when one of your animals dies…"

"I need to say goodbye, Leon." D's eyes were strangely warm when he laid a hand on the human's shoulder. "I promise that is all I'm going to do, and then I will return and we can go back to the shop and think about what we are going to do now."

"But that smell's toxic!" Leon protested again and D smiled reassuringly, taking another handkerchief out of his pocket.

"Well then, I shall protect myself against it. Do not worry. Nothing will happen to me."

The blonde glared. "Don't act as if you're superman, I know you're not and I know you can be affected by human poisons."

"I can always hold my breath, can I not?" D replied swiftly, smirking now. "And I assure you, I can hold my breath far longer than you."

There was no choice but to let him go.

* * *

When D returned to the car half an hour later, Leon was leaning against the driver's door, brow wrinkled and face discomforted. A glowing cigarette was hanging from his fingers, but it didn't look like he'd even taken one puff. He startled at D's sudden appearance and reached for something draped over the roof, holding it out to D awkwardly. "Here. I tried to clean it, but ocean water isn't too good for that…"

"Thank you," the kami said quietly. Leon rubbed his neck.

"Uh. You're welcome. After all, 'twas me who puked on it…"

D straightened the wet skirt out on his lap once he sat in the car, looking at the pattern. But Leon could see that he wasn't really looking at it; his eyes were distant and sad.

The radio started blaring again once he put the key in the ignition, "They're taking all the fucking beautiful animals and making them fucking extinct!" the singer screamed.

Leon hit the controls hard and swore loudly. He turned the key back. The ignition went off again. They sat there in silence, Leon's hand still on the key.

"Look, D, I'm sorry…"

"Don't," D cut him off, his voice thick. "Not you. Not for what someone else has done…"

"But I am!" the blonde protested wildly. "I don't know which bastard did that, but I swear, I'm gonna find him and get him for that!"

D closed his eyes in pain. "Do not promise something you may not be able to keep. Something you might not even want to keep."

"How do you mean that?" Leon asked, cooled by the expression on D's face. The kami kept his eyes closed as he whispered, "Because someone you know might be involved in this."

"Are you kidding me? Who would _do_ something like that?"

D opened his eyes again; they were so dark the violet seemed nearly black while the gold was glowing a deep yellowish orange. "What if one of your colleagues knew about it and kept it covered up? What if it's someone you like, perhaps even love? What if it would be Jill?"

"Jill? D, are you crazy?" Leon's voice trailed off when D's eyes came to rest on him, deep and earnest. Suddenly he understood that he wasn't talking about this specific situation; that he maybe wasn't even talking about what had happened…

His throat dry, Leon tried to speak. "What if you were raised to erase humanity and can't kill your own child…"

D nodded curtly, barely moving his head. "Or my lover and his younger brother," he whispered. "Or his best friend and her child… Please, Leon, drive home."

Leon did as he was told.

* * *

**A/N:** I was awfully lazy. I know, and I sincerely apologise for that. Please rest assured that this story will not be discontinued, I just had very little time during the past months, due to moving two times across a few borders. Now I'm hopefully settled in again and I will try to update more regularly again. Hope you nevertheless had fun with this chapter :-)

Yours, Enary


	6. Confessing Truth

**Confessing Truth**

Once home, D took Dana and vanished into some room with her while Leon paced the parlour impatiently, watched by the pets, whose worry increased the longer the Count stayed absent. None of them knew what had happened, and they felt their master's agitation and sadness as well as Leon's fear, which was emanating off the human like the smoke of his cigarette.

"What the hell is this about?" Tetsu finally broke out enraged, not wanting something bad to happen again. They couldn't stand any more bad things happening, none of them, not the Count, not Leon and certainly not Dana. The girl's world had been turned upside-down far too many times in the past, it was a wonder she was still somewhat sane.

"Dead seagulls," Leon said, his voice rough. "Dead seagulls and idiot humans who think they can dispose of their toxin rubbish where they want."

"Ouch," the totetsu murmured. "And…"

Leon laughed mirthlessly. "D's not happy about it, what else?"

"You aren't either," T-chan observed and Leon half glared, half glanced at him.

"That I'm human doesn't mean I approve of polluting the environment." He increased his pace while all of the pets kept quiet, not knowing what to say. Finally he threaded a hand through his hair, cursed loudly and took up the receiver. "Hey there, my name's Leon Orcot. I want to report a find."

They listened to him reporting their discovery. Halfway through the description the door went and D quietly entered the front room again with the sleeping Dana on his arms. He stopped, listened to Leon and turned his head away.

The blonde's eyes never left his face while he continued talking and D sat down in his chair, pressing the child close to his chest. Then the receiver clicked; the parlour fell silent.

"I've reported it."

"Yes, I heard it. Thank you." D's voice was rough, a little bit as if he'd been crying, but there was no trace of tears on his face, nor were his eyes rimmed. "It is not going to change anything."

"Dammit D, I can't do more than try!" Leon exploded, pushing the telephone off the desk by accident. They both stared at it, then looked at each other. "I can't do more than do my share," the blonde repeated more quietly. D quickly looked away.

"I know," he said, stood up and carefully lowered Dana into Leon's arms. "Please take care of her for now; I have to do my paperwork."

Leon might not know much about the shop's set-up, but he knew enough to know that D didn't go to the room where he kept his papers. Now this case had become personal.

* * *

Jill looked at him strangely when he sat down first thing the next morning and called the little police station that was responsible for the district of the cave. She silently listened, and when Leon finally slammed down the receiver, fuming with anger, she sat down on his desk. "Okay, tell me everything," she said, voice tolerating no opposition. "And I mean _everything_. What happened in the first place? Why did you even _know_ there were dead birds in that cave? And did you call the ASPCA at least this time?"

Leon sighed and threaded a hand through his hair. "D, of course, and I can't think of everything," he said. "He wanted to go there, dunno why. Perhaps he felt that they died… dunno." His face grew angry. "Fuck them! How can they be so lazy? I mean, someone reports something like this, and they just forget about the phone call? How can that be?"

"You're taking this pretty personally," Jill remarked, her grey eyes cold and hard. Leon had to look away. "What's happened to you, Orcot? Suddenly worried about the environment?"

"You didn't see them, Jill," the blonde said, resting his head in his hands. "You didn't see those seagulls there… they were so small, like children, like Chris or Dana, and they were dead, just dead, and they looked like they knew they'd die, but couldn't do anything to rescue themselves…"

There was stunned silence, then Jill said, "What the hell?" and Leon realised he'd said too much. Looking up in alarm, he tried to deny everything he'd just said, but Jill decidedly shook her head, tugged at his arm and led him into one of the interrogation rooms. There she made sure that the microphone was off, sat down opposite to him and scrutinised him. "And now the truth, please," she claimed with a hard look in her eyes.

Leon shifted uncomfortably. He'd been in here a lot of times, but never in the role of the questioned. "You don't want to know the truth, Jill, believe me. Not the whole truth," he said weakly.

"I'm pretty sure I do, and now. So spit it."

"D's probably told you himself, so why ask me?" he tried to get out of this somehow, but Jill shook her head.

"All D's ever told me is that he's not human; he's told me he's a protector of nature, and I think he left out a lot with that already. The best he's ever told me was, when you were comatose, that he was in a way responsible for what happened to that Aaron Sandler guy back then. I didn't understand everything he said; only that he's got some connection to his pets and that his fights with you made the pet angry and go at her master."

"And he probably left out that Remigio Cocuzzi and Cathleen Turner also were his fault," Leon said dryly, feeling the familiar guilt and fury boil up in him. "Not to mention those two freaks Dixon Walter and Ali Abdoullah."

Jill gasped. "It was D's fault that Turner kidnapped all those babies?" she almost yelled. "No, that can't be! He loves children, he's got Dana, he loves Chris, and – and Jamie…"

There was a look in her eyes Leon recognised. Jill's protective instincts had just decided to kick in. He held up his hands, trying to find words to explain. "He does, Jill, he does, so cool the fuck down and stop yelling! These rooms aren't completely soundproof!" he hissed. "There's no danger for Jamie, or you think I'd ever let you leave him with D if I thought it dangerous?"

"No…" Jill stretched, but he could see that now that her view of the world was shattered, she was ready to believe anything. For a moment he wondered at the power of instinct. Jill was such an intelligent woman, with such a cool head, she could deal with all kinds of unexpected occurrences; but apparently instinct still pushed every clear thought aside once her baby was in danger.

Sometimes he could understand why D regarded humans as hypocritical. They pretended to be above animals, claiming they had their instincts under control, but that was just a lie. Nobody really did; there were situations in which everyone would react with pure instinct, even those who were trained to keep a cool head.

"So what is he truly?" Jill managed to pull herself together with a great effort.

"Some kind of revenge spirit." It cost Leon a lot to speak that out loud. All his hatred for this fact came through in his words. "He was born and raised to ultimately erase humanity, because some Chinese asshole nearly wiped out his own species. And that's what he does, what he needs to do. He kills those humans who break the rules by selling them his pets."

Jill hid her head in her hands. "You knew the whole time, didn't you?" Leon asked with a malicious smile. "C'mon, don't tell me you didn't at least suspect that he does have that dark side; not after all I told you. If you wouldn't have known that I'm right somehow, you'd not believe me so easily now."

"Yeah, I _know_. But still…" The woman took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Leon understood. Having his suspicions finally confirmed had been a shock for him, too. It was different to know something because one was sure it was so; the moment one got confirmation every hope that it might be otherwise was shattered.

"So that's why you broke up with him. Why'd you get together with him in the first place if you knew that? You of all people!" She stared at him now, making him even more uncomfortable.

"Hell if I know," he snapped. "He promised me he wouldn't kill humans anymore. And he didn't know himself that he couldn't not kill them."

"Dear god in heaven." Jill again rested her head in her hands, staring at the blank table between them. "I – no, it's just impossible…"

"That's what I thought, too," Leon said dryly. "Be glad you at least never saw the shop as it truly is. Or the pets, for that matter."

She looked at him. "As it truly is? What is it really, then? Some kind of slaughterhouse?"

He wanted to laugh, but couldn't. "No. It's a ship. Some kind of ark, if I'm any judge. D's the master of it, and he can stuff the whole thing in one little suitcase if he wants to, although there're mountains and oceans and everything in there, just like in nature. It's some kind of animal paradise, and humans aren't allowed in there. At least, not for long, which is why Chris had to leave again, too. And I."

"That's illogical," Jill said, looking confused. "You live in there now. Dana lives in there, and she's at least partly human. She has to be, if she's your daughter."

The younger blonde shrugged. "I guess she is. But not necessarily. Truth be told, I've got another daughter with D, and she's definitely not human."

"Another!" she exclaimed. "And you never told me? Since when?"

"Since Christmas four years ago," he snapped. "I didn't know myself, not before I also got to know about Dana, and honestly, Jill, you'd have thought me crazy if I'd told you I've got a three-headed dragon for a daughter. I bet you're even now considering calling the ambulance and having me transported to the next madhouse."

"Perhaps I should, yes. Dear lord in heaven."

"You believe in him, but not that someone like D's real? Him you can at least touch," Leon provoked. Jill glared at him without answering. "Hell, don't look at me like that! I'm as freaked out by him as you are. I've only had more time to get used to the thought that he's different."

"And you're taking his side already. What has he done to you, Leon? You were always the one who couldn't stand someone being murdered, and you live with him? Without doing anything about it?"

"I can't do anything about it, Jill!" Leon was helpless when it came to that topic. He had no chance to win any argument there. He couldn't even decide which side he truly was on. "I hate that he kills. Well, at least sells pets that may perhaps kill, depending on what their owner does. He hands out those contracts, and as long as they keep to the terms, nothing happens. I can't make him stop that, because he'd die if I did. He says he won't, but I know that he needs to do what he does. He runs on instinct there, Jill. I don't think he really wants to kill, I think he wants to teach people a lesson, and, and…"

He ran out of words to say and looked at her helplessly, feeling like a deer in the headlights. Caught, no chance to run away. Knowing this was the end.

"How can you live with it? Knowing what he does?" Jill asked quietly, looking at him. "Don't lie to me, I know you're not one who doesn't care. You care far too much, that's one of your biggest problems with this job. That you care so much about those people. You couldn't even understand back when he visited Wong, remember?"

Now it was his turn to hide his face. "I don't know, Jill. I just don't know…"

They were silent for a long time.

"And what was that about the seagulls?" she finally asked. "What was that about them being like Dana or Chris? As terrible and wrong as it is that they died for some inexplicable reason, they're only seagulls, Leon."

"Not for D," Leon said glumly. "He's not only not human, Jill, he sees the world differently than we do, in the very sense of the word. Chris saw those pets as humans back then, you know what stories he always told. And they do look like humans. Well, they can look like humans. Really weird humans, but humans nevertheless."

She looked even more confused. "I don't think I understand that," she said. Leon tried to find a way to explain.

"It's like in a theatre when someone plays an animal. Like this weird play _Cats_, or something. They look just the same. Not quite human, but not quite animal either."

"So to D they're basically humans," Jill said carefully. Leon considered arguing that for D it probably wasn't like this, but he thought better of it. He'd learned that some things were just inexplicable where D was concerned. "And that's why he avenges them, yes? Basically at least. Because to him they've got the same importance as a human life."

_More than a human life_, Leon thought. _Much more._

But out loud, he said, "Yeah, basically. Only that there are some humans he likes just as much. He likes Chris, and he likes you and Jamie. I know that he does."

Jill smiled crookedly. "And you, of course. Though I bet he hates you almost as much as he loves you. How do you know what they look like?"

"I've learned to see them like D does," he answered simply. No point in trying to explain Kanan and the connection. Jill wouldn't understand. She didn't know what it was like to see the world through Kanan's eyes, or to hear her voice in his head although she was far away, or to walk through the jungle with her in his mind. "And those seagulls – to me they looked like humans, too. Like human children with wings. Jill, I never wanna see something like this again, and I wanna get the asshole who did that. There were hundreds of them, hundreds of dead little children with black, scared eyes. It was like a picture right out of a nightmare."

"Yeah," Jill replied, looking at her hands and playing with them. "Listen, could you talk to the chief? No, wait, don't talk to him. Just tell him I'm out getting some facts, or whatever, if he asks. I've gotta go."

Leon easily conceded; he knew she'd head straight to the shop now, to D and Jamie, and try to come around what she'd just gotten to know. In a way he was glad that now he wasn't the only one anymore who knew about D's dark side. At least now he could talk to her if he again felt so alone with it.

* * *

He never found out what D and Jill talked that day, but when their shift officially ended, she hadn't returned to the precinct and she wasn't at the pet shop either. Instead he found Lin there, looking at him with huge, disapproving eyes and telling him that the Count and Miss Jill had gone out for a walk. Leon sent the girl home and took care of the children until they returned. Jill seemed better than before, she even smiled at him for a second before she hoisted her boy up and went home. D looked at Leon.

"It wasn't necessary to tell her so much," he said, but there was no reprimand in his voice.

The human shrugged. "I've gotta talk sometimes, too. Excuse me if I wanna talk to someone who belongs to my own species."

D was silent to that, and Leon then realised that D, after all, didn't have that much choice if he wanted to talk to someone of his own species either.

* * *

Perhaps the tension of that revelation still lingered in the air; certainly the tension about their experience in the cave did. Thus it was no wonder that, when D stepped into Leon's room late Friday night after knocking and announced that he had to go out and retrieve a pet with a smirk on his lips, Leon exploded.

"You didn't do it again!" he yelled. "D, dammit! Can't you at least keep quiet for a little while? We've just returned, all of Chinatown's looking at us, how in hell do you expect not to be caught if you act like that?"

"I won't get caught; I have never been caught so far," D said arrogantly. "I am actually good at what I do, Leon, so stop talking nonsense."

The blonde's eyes narrowed. "And it beats just everything that you're proud of it!"

"Well, excuse me if I try to do what I am supposed to do well!" the kami snapped back. "In contrast to you, I could not choose what I wanted to be born as."

"Now don't you come with that. Predetermination's such shit, and it's not true either."

"Firstly, what you are talking about is called _race, milieu, et moment_, but I didn't expect you to know that anyway, and secondly, _predetermination_ may be nonsense where your species is concerned, although I also doubt that, but it is certainly not nonsense where mine is concerned."

He was in a way right there, Leon knew that, and so he concentrated on another point. "Then what about the smirk, huh? If you've gotta do it, you could at least care about what you have to do!"

D's eyes blazed at him. "I should care about the death of a human who was stupid enough to break the terms of the contract? Pray tell me, why should I?"

Leon could've killed D in that moment. "I told Jill only last week that you're not such a bastard! That you care about what you do!"

"I do care about what I do! It isn't my fault that I care in a way you will never be able to understand!"

"If you call being happy about a dead human _caring_, I'd like to know what _giving a shit_ means to you!"

"I care more for my pet than for the human, and you will _not_ make me change my mind about that. I know my pets since childhood, I've raised them, and don't you dare tell me you'd not give a damn if Chris or Dana were treated badly and then in self-defence killed someone!"

"That's different!"

"No it's not!"

The door opened and Tetsu looked inside. "Do I need to make some popcorn?" he asked dryly, looking at the opponents, both heated faces and their tense postures. "Just how many times do you want to fight about that again? I mean, I could understand one, perhaps even two, anything up to, let's say, ten, but this has to be the three thousandth time you're fighting about the Count's job. Can't you just accept given facts or what's the problem this time?"

D righted his hair with a trembling hand; the totetsu could see that the fight had shaken him more than the occasion allowed. This wasn't only about the Count's job, it was also about their differences and the reasons for breaking up with each other. At first he'd pitied his master, but lately he'd come to pity Leon just as much. It wasn't easy for both; perhaps or especially because they did like each other, despite all that had happened.

So when he heard yet another fight starting, he'd decided to do something about it. Just cool them down, offer a break to give them time to overcome their hurt feelings. They were here, right at this point, and if they wanted to continue in any direction, they all had to do something to reach a result with which they could live.

His master was the first to react. He sighed softly and looked at Leon. "I have to retrieve the pet anyway," he said quietly.

Leon bit his lip and stared at his monitor, but relented hesitantly. "Yeah, alright. I'll keep an eye on the shop," he mumbled. "And Dana."

D nodded, then hesitated once more. "Would you mind – your window is the highest in this shop…"

Leon gestured towards it. "Have fun," he said, pretending not to watch as the kami climbed out and onto the roof of the pet shop to start his trip. Tetsu yawned and seated himself on the sofa, which made Leon wrinkle his brow, but he didn't comment on it and got back to work.

* * *

D returned some two hours later with the pet in tow. The window looked closed from the outside, but a piece of paper had been put in between so it couldn't close completely. In the room Tetsu and Leon had fallen asleep on the couch, the TV showing a football game.

He switched it off quietly and traced a hand through Leon's blonde strays for a second before he went to his own room, his eyes dark with yet again sadness.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow. I think considering the time it takes me to update this story, everyone has pretty much lost interest in it already. Am I right? If not, please leave me a comment, just so I know if I should rather spend the time on something else.

And, if there are still people reading this, I'm working on something very special for the series...


	7. Lessons

**Lessons**

Feeling that presence in the shop was quite a surprise for D. He hadn't expected it, especially since their last encounters had been everything but pleasant. Leaving his paperwork aside, he stood up and stepped into the parlour where the cloaked figure was just petting a cat. The animal smirked at the younger kami when he entered. D folded his hands.

"Grandfather, welcome. I confess I did not expect you. I am afraid Dana is asleep."

"That cannot be helped." Sofu straightened and scrutinised him. "How are you, Grandson?"

A little shadow glided over D's face. "I am well, Grandfather, thank you. Would you care for some tea?"

"Yes, please."

The parlour grew quiet while D quickly prepared a pot of jasmine tea and offered his grandfather some cake Leon had bought that morning. Before the pet had killed.

Sofu thanked him quietly, but sipped his tea in silence. Finally D didn't want to wait anymore. Whatever his grandfather had come for, he'd better get over with it. There was no reason to let him wait and doubt.

"Do you need anything, Grandfather?" he inquired politely. The elder looked at him and sat his cup down.

"No," he said freely. "No, I do not need anything. I merely came to see if you were alright."

D inclined his head. "I am, Grandfather, but thank you for your worry."

"You do look pale." Golden eyes took in his appearance. "And I think you lost weight. Was he hurt so badly that you have to work so much for him now?"

D suddenly realised that apparently Sofu had refrained from spying on the shop in the past months like he'd done since D's return to America. "I have lost weight," he confessed, not knowing what to feel about this. Did it mean that Sofu had finally realised his grandson now had his own life, or was it to show him what a disgrace he was to their family? "But it is not because Leon was hurt so badly. In fact, he has recovered surprisingly well, but that was to be expected, since his bond to Kanan has grown stronger during the months in the shop."

Sofu took a sip and said nothing, but his thoughts showed on his face.

"He is dealing with it far better than I expected," D said quietly. "However, you do not have to worry about him and me anymore. I have buried him."

The cup clinked on the saucer. D looked at his hands, trying to keep the sudden tears back. He'd cried so much already for and because of Leon, doing so now, in front of Grandfather…

"Oh my foolish child," Sofu murmured and sat down beside him. D leaned into his embrace, let his grandfather's presence soothe him and calm the feelings welling up in his heart. He swallowed his tears, though, knowing Sofu would disapprove of them and taking a strange strength from his control over them. "Oh my child, what has he done to you? I should have prepared you better for everything…"

"For life? Do you truly think you could have prepared me for what would happen?" D asked bitterly.

Sofu sighed and shook his head. "No. Nothing could have prepared any of us for what would happen. Once we get drawn into humans' lives, we cannot see the greater pattern anymore."

"It is just as well. I have made my mistakes like everyone else." D gently disengaged himself and looked at his grandfather, whose face was strangely closed. He barely ever thought of him as a being like himself; Grandfather was always so cool, so distant, although there was a certain warmth in him D could feel on occasion, like just now.

On those he wondered what had happened to turn Sofu into the withdrawn man he was now. And if it would have been possible to change it… but those musings were of course pointless. He would not ask, and even if, Grandfather would not answer, as was his right. D didn't want him to know everything either.

Sofu was silent for another moment. "Why is he still in the shop, then, if you buried him?" he wanted to know then, his voice cool again.

"He asked me to allow him to stay here. For Dana's sake. I agreed." He didn't care to hide the depressed look in his eyes. "I am starting to wonder if that was a good idea."

Sofu made a non-committal sound. "And your ring, what does it mean?"

D touched the small silver item that hadn't left his finger once since Leon had given it to him. "It was – a parting gift. I think he wanted to tell me that he was sorry and would have wished for it to come out differently; but circumstances were such that it was better this way." He sighed. "It might have made a lot of things easier had we never met."

"Does Dana understand?" Sofu asked.

D shook his head. "More or less. I have told her that her father and I will be sleeping in separate rooms from now on because we have decided it is better this way. All she wanted to know was if Daddy would leave the shop again and when I said no, she was content. She does not care for much as long as we are both here; she doesn't like us fighting or sad, but right at the moment she is very busy getting to know the pets again and does not spend much thought on her parents."

The eldest nodded. "So you have buried him," he said quietly. "I confess that I had not expected that. I was afraid of what you would do, to what ends you would go for him, but it seems I underestimated you yet again. To think that I raised you since childhood…"

"I have changed much since you became Q-chan and I met Leon for the first time."

"Yes, without any doubt. Sometimes I think you changed more in a few years than any of us others ever did in his whole life."

D allowed himself a small smile. "I do not know if it is good or bad for us to change so much."

"You are different to us anyway," Sofu pointed out softly, this time no accusation in his voice. It still hurt to hear once again that he was different even to those few he shared most with. "I never approved of what your father did back then; he should not have given birth to you. It is his fault that you have to suffer so much."

"Grandfather, please, Father is not responsible for my genetic degeneration," D tried to amend. "And although I don't approve of how he tried to mend his mistakes, he at least did try."

"Thus causing you even more pain. Your father always was reckless and far too intelligent and curious for his own good." Sofu sighed, too. "Since this is so, I should warn you before. It is possible that your degeneration will result in changes. It might happen that your body will still crave his."

D sat bolt upright. "What?" he echoed. "Why? I have done everything as best as I could. If this should happen…"

"Calm yourself," Sofu hurried to soothe him. "I am not saying that you have done anything wrong. Only that it has happened that – the mate chosen by our body was not the mate our mind wanted."

The younger kami sank back into the sofa. "That doesn't change anything, Grandfather. If that should be the case…"

"Calm yourself. It is not as bad as you think it is. Of course he will be drawn to you then; but seeing that you anyway fight the whole time, I very much doubt that circumstances will play out to cause reason for worry."

Sofu's composure calmed D. "And what am I to do should they occur?" he asked nevertheless. The eldest shrugged.

"Grandson, you are your own master now. You are old enough to make your own decisions, you yourself claimed that right. Whatever you decide to do, it will be your responsibility. I cannot take it for you. Now let us talk about something else. How is the shop doing?"

D took a deep, silent breath and then concentrated on other things. For a change, he hadn't fought with Grandfather when the elder left again; but still, he sometimes wondered if it was a character trait of his species that they could induce thoughts in other people's heads. He frequently did so with Leon's thoughts, he knew that much, and also with Jill's and Chris's. Grandfather did so with him. The thoughts that usually plagued him after another talk with Grandfather were everything, but surely not pleasant. Neither were they useful, since all they induced was fear of things that might or might not happen.

He bit his lip as he stared up at the dark tree looming over his bed. Was he really as degenerated as Grandfather thought he was? If yes, then all his precautions were useless; he would soon begin again to claim his mate, and the results would be…

It was true that there were still feelings left for Leon, how should there not be any? The rituals might ensure the death of love, but they didn't kill every feeling inside. Could it be that they wouldn't work because Leon was still alive?

D shuddered as he thought about that, and closed his eyes in pain. No – no, that couldn't be. The searing pain he felt every time he looked at the human couldn't be mistaken for anything else than what it was, grief for a dead mate. He was sure that chapter was closed.

Grandfather had done a really good job at stirring up his fears again, although he'd tried to calm him. D cursed him silently for some moments and then focused on something else instead. In this case, it was his heart, beating slowly in his chest. Closing his eyes and breathing deeply, he plunged into that which he knew was the centre of his being; all of the feelings were stored here, all came from this very point. He looked at them carefully, sorted them. He found a lot of love, so much he was a little surprised by it; but the one he was afraid to find was gone.

Smiling, he caressed the love he felt for his child; Dana, the most important being in his life, and the love he felt for her was almost overwhelming. Then there was the love for her uncle, little Chris, the human boy. It pulsed almost as much as Dana's. Tetsu and Pon-chan, and a few of his other darling pets each had their special place here, one that was reserved just for them.

But Leon he couldn't find, wherever he looked.

At this point, D broke out of his inner reverie, his eyes flying open wide. A deep breath, almost a sob, heaved up his chest as he suddenly realised how empty his bed was. In the nights past he'd been able to tune that feeling out by working until he was tired enough not to notice, but now it hit him full on. Empty. There was no Leon in here, no love, and no one he could hold on to.

D curled up into a small ball, clutching at his cushion. Was this the worst when a relationship ended? The realisation that one suddenly was alone again? No one to talk to anymore before going to sleep, no one to kiss goodnight?

He had been alone in his bed so many times; actually, more times than he'd been in it together with someone. And when Leon had been doing training in New York, his bed had been empty at night, too. He remembered very well how he had missed his mate then, how he'd longed to feel him beside him.

Still, for some reason it wasn't the same feeling he had now. The space seemed wider than ever before; there wasn't even the illusion of someone coming back to him and climbing in to join him left.

A mirthless smile quirked D's lips as he forced his body to go to sleep. Bitter reality was what poets would call this. Bitter reality…

* * *

He was woken again some hours later by a little hand tugging at his sleeve. Sleepily D raised his head and looked into Dana's blue eyes. "What is it, child?" he mumbled and rolled around to properly look at her.

"I don't want to be alone," she replied. D sighed and scooted over, then helped Dana crawl into his bed.

"Can you go to sleep now?" he asked. Dana nodded and snuggled against him. With the body of his child in there, small as it might be, the size of the bed suddenly shrank considerably.

Well, it couldn't be the same, D pondered for a moment, looking down at her peaceful face. But Dana had been a reminder of a past long gone even before she had been born.

The thought made a new fear well up in his heart, one that told him not to burden his child with all he had gone through, partly because of her, partly because he was just himself.

But, in a strange way, she also reassured him that there was a way. She herself should have been impossible, yet she was alive.

Yes, Dana was alive.

* * *

Leon was still angry at D for being such an asshole; he of course got to know about the new dead customer. Luckily for him, the chief took one look at the photos of the corpse and decided to give the job to Eliza. Jill glanced at her friend for a moment before they all left the conference room to go back to their jobs, but then she stayed back to talk to Liza.

Leon returned to his desk. He had to take his mind off the picture of the young man he remembered alive so clearly. Taking his phone, he again called the little police station and was lucky to get the chief there.

Jill returned just in time to see him putting on his jacket, his face again grim. "Leon, you can't go to D and bitch about his customer!" she hissed, sending a nervous glance around. "Listen, I _know_ that you're pissed, but you said -"

"I'm not going to the shop." Leon opened a drawer and took some plastic bags out of it. "You know by any chance what you need to take earth samples?"

Seeing her jaw drop, he waved her off and simply dashed out of the room, so Jill sat down with the sincere intention of waiting for him.

* * *

She didn't have to wait long; Leon returned only two hours later, just as she was finishing a report, his hands full with bags that contained sand.

Better prepared for his crazy ideas now, Jill managed not to gape. "And what are you going to do with those?" she asked. "Build a sandcastle in here? The chief's gonna have your head."

"Chief, just the right word," Leon murmured and carefully lowered the plastic bags on his table. "Is he in?"

"Why should he not?" she snapped, glaring. "You care explaining to me what you're doing?"

Her friend looked at the bags with a thoughtful expression in his eyes. "I took those samples from the cave of the dead seagulls," he said, as if it explained everything. Jill felt the need to shake him.

"We've got people who're better at taking samples than you are. Why don't you just leave the job up to them? Just because you want to help D by catching someone you don't even know exists – it could have been something entirely different that made them die -"

"Jill, I know what I smelled and I'm sure it wasn't natural," Leon replied, strangely calm. "I'd've let them do their job. Only that they were there and didn't do their job. I spoke to the chief out there and asked if there're any results yet. You know what he said? Two people called, me and a woman named Adrianne Ward, but they didn't find anything in that cave. In fact, they only got to know that someone had called at all when I made the second call, the one you heard. Then they sent a team there, along with wildlife services, but the toxin was all gone. Doesn't that sound strange to you, too?"

His eyes locked on Jill's. She swallowed. "And what're you going to do now?"

Leon tilted his head to the side, scrutinising the plastic bags. "I think I'm gonna talk the chief into sending those to the laboratory and wait if there really was no trace left."

* * *

He was irked by the fact that the chief had obviously doubted his story, but in the end, Leon proved to have the stronger head and he sent the samples to their laboratory, sighing deeply. To take his mind off it, Leon got into his car and out on the streets. But he found that he had to think about the other caller all the time. Two people had called, in two days, and nobody had done anything about it!

Determinedly he took the road to the beach again. As long as no one was on to the case officially, he could as well make his own inquiries…

He considered the idea for a moment. Would it be worth the trouble if the chief found out he'd made inquiries before the official order?

Then he thought about the expression on D's face and started the ignition. The other witness who'd reported the toxic smell was living right down there at the beach in a small bungalow. He'd just pay her a visit, ask a few questions and see if he couldn't find something useful.

The woman who opened the door was quite attractive. "Can I help you?" she asked, pushing a strand of red hair behind her ear. Leon stared at it for a second.

"Uh, my name's Orcot, Detective Orcot, LAPD. I've got a few questions about your report of toxic smells," he said and forcefully turned his attention on her face again. He _knew_ her; but where from? The shop? No, he was pretty sure she hadn't been one of D's customers. But where else could he've met her?

Oh well, probably in some club or the other. It had been quite a while since he'd been to one of those, so it was no wonder if he couldn't quite remember.

"Finally someone's taking notice! Come on in; you want something to drink? Soda, coke?"

"Soda's fine," Leon replied and stepped inside. The bungalow was nice, painted in light colours and furnished with wooden tables and chairs. Various easels were standing around and a distinctive smell of oil paint in the air. Apparently an artist.

"I knew something was wrong, right when the seagulls stopped calling," she told him and took a few books from a chair so he could sit down. "I love them. I listen to them every day while I'm working. I love the way they cry, the way they fly, everything about them, even their screams when they fight for food."

Leon looked at the picture on the easel next to him. Two seagulls stared back, a little chick between them. They looked very family-like. "Yeah, I can see that," he replied dryly and the artist laughed.

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" she said, amused, and extended a hand. "Anyway, sorry for my manners. I'm Adrianne Ward; but you probably guessed that already, didn't you?"

He grinned at her. "Kind of."

"It's nice to see that the police is able to think." She winked at him and then became serious, turning her glass in her hands, looking a little pained. "Yes, the seagulls. I already told you I noticed something was wrong when they stopped calling. They're making noise the whole day, and on that, it was just – silent. It was truly frightening, in a way. So I went out to find out what was wrong. At first I walked down the beach in the other direction, but then I remembered the great cave at the other end and thought, well, maybe they're hidden there. Perhaps there's a hurricane coming up or something, and they want to be safe. Animals usually know earlier than we do."

Leon tried not to say anything. She didn't need to tell him. He knew about animals and knowing things beforehand.

"But when I was halfway there, I noticed that strange smell in the air," the woman continued, oblivious to his thoughts. "And it was – I don't really know how to describe it. Only that it nearly made me vomit, it was so disgusting. I didn't dare going further without some protection, so I went and got my scuba-gear. And then I went into the cave." She shuddered.

"It was terrible. I don't know why they went in there, I can't understand it. They must've known that that smell was toxic for them. I didn't dare touch anything, I just went back and called the police. There was an officer on the phone who told me they'd sent over a team, and that I should tell him exactly where the cave was. Which I did. I waited for a whole day, but nobody showed up. The next day I went back there in the morning and looked, but everything was still there, untouched. I called again, and the same officer told me that their team had been delayed by another incident, but that they'd come later that day." She looked at him. "They didn't. And when I called on the third day, and the team finally came, there was nothing in there."

Leon was upright in his chair. "Did you notice anything?" he asked, tense all over. D's words came back. _What if someone kept it covered up? What if it's someone you know?_ He had to find out who that officer had been.

Adrianne Ward shook her head. "No, the cave's quite far away from my house. And there's a platform right above it, with a road leading down. It's been closed for years, but it should still be okay. Getting the toxin there without me noticing isn't a problem. I can't even see it from the house, not even with a telescope. I've tried, you know. The seagulls like that cave." She swallowed. "Liked."

"Did you tell anyone else?" Leon inquired.

She thought and then nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I called my best friend. She lives in LA, in the city. I was so agitated, I didn't know what to do, and I had to talk to someone."

"May I have her name and address?"

Adrianne Ward scribbled both down on a slip of paper. "But she's got nothing to do with it," she said then defiantly. "She's a member of PETA. She couldn't even think such a horrible thing."

The blonde carefully placed the paper in his pocket. "But she might have told someone who could," he said, and she was silent for a moment. He decided to put another question. "And that officer you talked to. Do you remember his name?"

Again a headshake. "He said it, but the first time I was too agitated to memorise it, and the second he didn't even say it."

"But it was definitely a man," Leon concluded and received a nod.

"He was young, judging by the voice, and there was some strange touch to it, like, I don't know, like he wasn't completely American, if you know what I mean, or at least not from California."

"Do you have any clue which language it might have been?" Much to Leon's disappointment, Adrianne Ward shook her head, looking helpless. "I didn't concentrate on it, I was too busy with the seagulls. I'm not even sure if it was an accent, or if he was just lisping a little bit."

He'd have to ask D which language might cause an accent that sounded like lisping. "Do you remember anything else besides that?" Leon dug further. "Anything at all?"

She thought hard. "Well… I had the impression that he didn't want anyone to listen to what he was saying. I mean, no, that's wrong, that's my interpretation. He was just talking very quietly, as if he was shy, or perhaps trying not to disturb someone, or perhaps he was just trying to soothe me." She smiled, a bit embarrassed. "I guess I was pretty wound up. I tend to be if something that touches me happens. I'm sorry for not remembering more; I guess I'm a terrible witness."

Leon sighed and shook his head. "Not better and not worse than many other witnesses," he said dryly. "You'd be surprised how little most people notice. Someone's missing, and nobody can even remember what he wore before he went missing, even if they spent the whole day with him."

Adrianne Ward smiled. "If I'd seen someone, I'd have noticed, I'm sure of it. What I don't understand is how they got the toxin out of there so quickly. How did they know their hiding place had been discovered? I mean, that part of the beach is pretty far away and the cave is deep. It could've taken weeks before anyone went there at all."

"That's what I hope to find out," Leon said, standing up and offering a hand to her. "If you remember more, anything, gimme a call. Not the local police, the LAPD, and just ask for Detective Orcot."

"Sure." She stood up, too, and accompanied him to the door. "Just one question, please: why is someone from the LAPD taking care of that? I mean, I called the local police. How do you know about it?"

Leon considered for a moment if he should tell her, but then, what did he have to lose? It was obvious that she cared about the seagulls a lot; if she knew about his own interest, she might be more willing to relay information she thought unnecessary.

"Well, in fact, I called the station here, too," he said and took out his sunglasses while she stared. "My - friend's almost as nuts for seagulls as you are, and he knew about that colony. We came here to have a look and we found them. Thanks for your help."

"No problem," the woman replied, her face taking on that thoughtful expression once more. She still stood at the door and watched him drive away when he left.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow. Seriously, people, thanks. I was quite surprised and happy to reveive so many reviews despite the fact that this story is taking such a long upload-time :-) Especially to the anonymous reviewer, thank you a lot, I wish I could just express how happy I was when I read that you check this site because of my story... :-) :-) :-)

Okay, I told you already that I do have something for you: Although I will probably continue to update on ff-net, too, I have created my own blog so I can upload my stories there in a somewhat... let's say, more pleasing lay-out. At the moment, ten chapters of Unchangeable are already online there; you might wanna check the page out. Finding it is easy, either by typing karahnjukar (dot) wordpress (dot) com or by going to my profile and clicking on my homepage. Comments are enabled - and I'll be just as happy to receive feedback there as I will be on ff-net.

And, having said that, remember that I always can password-protect my blog ;-) Have a good stay, both there and here.

Enaty


	8. In the Name of the Father, the Son aso

**In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit**

Leon's mind spun the whole way back to the city. It was clear that someone had warned whoever had placed the toxin there that it'd been discovered. His gut instinct was telling him that D was right; that it wasn't Adrianne Ward's friend who was involved in this, but the police officer who'd gotten her call. It was clear that they'd only taken action after his phone call since the toxin had still been there when Adrianne Ward again went to the cave.

Dammit, he should have thought of calling the ASPCA the second they came out of that cave! By the time he finally had called them, it must've been already too late. Or they had someone there, too, to keep something like this covered up for long enough to destroy the evidence. He almost snorted. Whoever it was who was giving out warnings there, he was either very careless or very inexperienced. To only take action after the second discovery was reported was pretty stupid. What if Adrianne Ward had called the precinct in the city?

Plus, the team couldn't have searched the cave that carefully; nobody could cover up such tracks so well in less than a day. Collecting all of the corpses alone had to take hours; D had estimated the members of that colony to be around three hundred. Were they in league with the ones who'd placed the toxin there, or had they just been manipulated by the informant? Telling them that there was a crazy artist who was seeing ghosts and conspiracy everywhere? Perhaps Leon's call hadn't been mentioned at all?

Still, it was a risk. Leon was another police officer, he was more likely to make inquiries than Adrianne Ward; or at least, more likely to ask the wrong people, those who shouldn't know about the whole affair.

On the other hand, sooner or later every criminal made a mistake. It was possible that he'd thought Leon'd let the matter drop after having made his report.

No, he decided, not likely, then the toxin would still have been there when the team arrived.

Immediately he started worrying about the test samples the chief had sent to the laboratory. What if they also got lost?

He parked his car in the usual spot and returned to the shop after a glance at his clock. His shift was officially over now, and he'd think up some explanation where he'd been later. Not now, when his mind was so busy with other things.

Both Jill and D turned around at the bells jingling. Leon entered, stopped and wrinkled his brow at their sight. "Okay. What's up here?" he said without a greeting, forgetting about what had busied him just a moment ago. When those two had that look, something was up.

"What?" Jill blinked innocently and shared a look with D, who looked just as innocent.

"Yeah, what's up. You two look like you've got something planned, and it's something I won't like at all. What's it?" He gazed from D to Jill and back until they started to laugh.

"No, Leon, we didn't plan something bad," Jill chuckled. "I just stopped by to ask if it's okay to have Jamie's christening next Saturday. And since you were so – busy this morning, I didn't get a chance to do so."

"Oh." Leon finally sat down on the sofa, taking an éclair immediately. "Sure, why not? Don't have anything else to do that weekend."

"Apart from celebrating your birthday," D remarked and handed him a cup of tea also. Leon rolled his eyes. "Do you not want to celebrate?"

"I'd want Chris to come, and you and Jill and Sandy around, but no, I don't want a big party. It's bad enough that I'm getting old. Don't have to celebrate that, too."

D and Jill both laughed at him for that. "It's your 30th birthday, Leon, "old" is still a long way off," she said, bemused. "And I bet the guys'd like to party with you."

"But I don't wanna party with them. I don't wanna party at all," Leon muffled. "Anyway, if the christening's on Saturday and my birthday's on Sunday, that's far too much for one weekend anyway, so we'll just forget about my birthday."

"Oh well, then I don't have to buy a present for you." Jill grinned at the sour look she got. "Alright, alright. You'll get a present. If you behave at the christening. Don't forget you're the godfather."

"Of course I haven't forgotten that." Leon was grumpy. "I'm not that dumb, Jill."

"Would it be okay if I brought Dana?" D asked, intent on not having them fight about such nonsense. "I don't want to ask Shao Lin to baby-sit."

"Of course I want to have her there," Jill answered, and then a baby began to cry behind the new curtain, making Leon stiffen in surprise for a moment. His gaze flew to D, but the kami stayed where he was while Jill went to fetch the crying baby. She chuckled when she returned to the sofa. "You know, Dana and Jamie in that cradle are just too cute. Especially since both are sucking their thumbs."

"Take a photo," Leon said, relaxing again and meeting D's eyes, which were sad behind the smile. "Bet you'll get a lot of money for that picture."

Jill rolled her eyes and started feeding Jamie. D turned to Leon. "If you want Chris here on the weekend, you should call your aunt," he said, sounding a little worried. "You'll have to get him a flight."

"Yeah, right," the blonde mumbled and looked at Jill and Jamie, then he stood up. "Better to get it done now. Where's the phone?"

D pointed and returned to his cake, starting a quiet conversation with Jill so not to disturb Leon, whom he could hear behind the curtain at the phone. Tetsu yawned and stretched out on D's lap, the young kami scratching his belly absent-mindedly.

Then the mystic beast suddenly perked up. "Hey, what's…?" he said.

Leon's voice answered his question. "Hey now, Uncle Arthur, that's just plain unfair. He's my brother, and it's my birthday, and D and Dana are my family, so… Hell dammit! It's not my problem if you don't like him! … Would you please let me decide who I live with and where? … You can't just keep him away from me! He's my brother and you're…"

D and Jill had long since turned towards the curtain. Tetsu obligingly hopped down from D's lap and drew back the curtain so they could see the blonde at the phone, his face showing anger and hurt, but he was listening concentratively. "No, Chris, don't, give the phone back, please. Yeah, I know, buddy, but he's still legally your father, and trouble's… Hey, don't you dare scream at him!"

The inhabitants of the front room listened in shock while Leon cursed into the receiver and hurled some insults at his uncle, then slammed it down, fuming with anger. "Chris won't come," he gritted through his teeth. "Uncle Arthur thinks the environment in the shop's not good for him, and he's not gonna permit his _son_ to come here." He almost spat out the word "son". D and Jill looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Finally the kami stood and placed a comforting hand on Leon's shoulder. "Don't aggravate yourself, Leon. I'm sure Chris will be able to visit us soon," he said soothingly.

"Don't bet on that." Leon shrugged his hand off and stomped off to his room without another word. D looked at Jill, seeking help, but the woman was as baffled as he was.

"Don't look at me. It's not like I ever understood the Johnsons," she said by way of answer and held up her hands. "I like his aunt, that's all. I also like Josie and Sam, but that father of theirs…"

D sat down again, taking Tetsu up at once. "I doubt it is going to be a nice birthday for Leon," he said. Jill sighed. "Yeah, me too. At least there's the christening to take his mind off that."

The young kami nodded a little absent-mindedly. It was true, the reaction was to be expected. But it still seemed a bit exaggerated for the occasion. Had Leon encountered something besides Arthur Johnson's refusal today?

He considered asking the blonde for a moment and then decided he would not. If Leon wanted to talk, he would come. And perhaps he'd just had a bad day without anything special happening. No reason to start reading a lot into simple actions again. They'd seen what that had led to already.

* * *

As usual when Leon was expected to attend something official, he started being worried about his looks beforehand. Not that he actually said so, but D knew nevertheless from the doubtful looks the blonde was giving his worn-out jeans.

Finally he burst out enraged. "Hell, what do you wear to a christening? I have no fucking idea!" And then he glared at D, who made a splendid figure in his silken kimono, decorated with tiny leaves that reminded Leon of the pink kimono D had once gotten from his grandfather.

"Where did that one go to, anyway?" he asked, making D close his mouth and blink in confusion. He had just intended to tell Leon that he as godfather should probably wear something remotely suit-like if he didn't want Jill to be angry at him.

"Excuse me?" he said instead after collecting himself for a moment. Leon continued to gaze at the kimono. "You never wore the one Q-chan sent you. What happened to it?"

"It blossomed again, but since I couldn't bring any human blood to it, I'm afraid it died," D answered smugly. "Concerning Jamie's christening, I would recommend the best clothes you have."

"They're somewhere in one of the cartons," Leon answered, before D's words hit him. "Wait a moment, human blood? Does that mean, you – I – you little bastard! Dammit, not eating meat but sucking blood instead or what?"

D laughed and quickly got out of the way of the cushion Leon was throwing at him (since Pon-chan was blocking his lap at the moment, he couldn't get up, and he was trained to stay seated from having Dana on his knees). "Oh, Leon, but they were such a beautiful sight! I truly would like to see them blossom again…"

"Get outta here, you blood-stealing, skinny bitch!" the blonde screamed. "You could've asked me at least!"

"Because you would of course have said yes had you known what kind of kimono this was," D replied dryly and shook his head, more amused than angered. "Now, back to the question of your clothes – I could take care of that, if you want."

Leon was distracted by the horrifying image of D making him wear one of his cheongsam. "No way!" he exclaimed and the kami had to turn away for a moment to keep from bursting out with laughter.

"Well, I could arrange for a tuxedo to be sent to the pet shop…" he offered, the corners of his mouth quirking in unmistakeable joy.

"D." Leon's voice dropped to a low growl. "You really wanna get at me today. What the fuck have I done wrong this time?"

D tipped his fingernail to his lip and noticed with some delight that it was already considerably longer than last time he'd noticed the absence of his claws. "Let me think for a moment… oh, there were those words you kept using yesterday while Dana was within hearing distance… or the fact that you left me a list of things I should buy for you without even asking if I could do your shopping for you…"

Pon-chan on Leon's knees giggled and quickly muffled it with the cushion while the human groaned. "Oh dammit, D! I don't have time to do the shopping, you know that! I had to use your stuff last week to make dinner for Dana."

"You did – what?"

Pon-chan was finally thrown off Leon's legs as the blonde hastily jumped up and took cover behind the sofa, but she didn't mind at all. In fact, all of the pets in the front room took a lot of delight in seeing one of the "old fights" again, and they still continued laughing when Leon and D had long since vanished in the back to prolong being angry in their respective rooms.

* * *

They had cooled down again in the evening and dinner was relatively peaceful; well, it would've been peaceful had Dana not dropped her plate, splattering the kitchen floor with the contents and then promptly starting to cry since it had been her favourite plate. She cried for nearly an hour before Leon could convince her to sleep, and by that time he was already worked up again.

But there still was the question of his clothes.

"I meant what I said. If you want, I'll help you with them," D said quietly when he entered the kitchen again. The kami was standing with his back to him, preparing some dough in a bowl, his elegant hands dancing back and forth between the ingredients. It smelled delicious.

"Perhaps," Leon mumbled and sighed, staring at the remains of the plate. "Dammit, Dana loved that one so much."

"She has to learn to be careful with breakable items," D replied, undisturbed by this tragic event. "After all, she is almost three years old now. It is time for her to learn that the world doesn't revolve around her."

"Well, she knows that you've got the shop to care for, and that I have to work."

"Nevertheless she is spoiled. Which is why I agreed to taking Jamie in. Having another child here that needs care will teach her social competence."

Leon looked at him and shook his head. "You know, one listens to you talking and wonders if you eat an education book every day."

D glared for a moment, put the bowl in the fridge and straightened. "If you want help with your clothes, I'd suggest we go now. Maybe they need to be washed before you wear them."

He left Leon no other choice than going with him. The blonde followed him up the stairs into his rooms, muttering under his breath. D cast the clothes in the wardrobe only a distasteful glance. "You aren't going to wear those," he said decidedly. "Judas Priest or Deep Purple or AC/DC aren't the right dress for a christening. Besides, they are so old one could sell them as antiques."

"Hey, those are my favourites!" Leon protested, glaring at the kami, who turned to the small room in which the other crates were stuffed.

"Yes, I happened to notice that. It does not mean that I approve of your choice of clothes."

"Are you saying I look bad?" The human narrowed his eyes at the kami, who smiled a perfectly innocent smile.

"Have I said that? I only mentioned that I wouldn't choose to be dressed like you."

"Bitch," Leon murmured and silently decided to go over his wardrobe soon. Hell, what was D's problem? He liked his shirts, even if they looked strange sometimes. "Not everyone can afford all that silk," he added defiantly. "Hey, what are you looking for?"

"I am looking for the clothes you wore when you stepped into the shop first. Those would at least be formal," D replied, opening the crate in which the rest of Leon's clothes were and sorting through them with quick fingers. "Ah yes, here we have them. Let's hope you still fit in them."

"I've not become fat, you bastard!"

"Really?"

Leon forgot to argue about the choice D'd made and instead snatched the suit out of his hands, glaring at the kami. "I'll prove you," he growled, then stopped and blushed.

Suddenly tension rose. D bit his lip and quickly turned his back to the blonde. "Dress in your bedroom, I will look for something else," he murmured, trying not to look at his hands. They were shaking slightly, and he clenched them to hide the trembling.

The human went out. He could hear him changing through the closed door. The pain will fade, the seagull had said. D sighed slightly, looking at his hands. So far he'd not noticed any lessening.

* * *

The unspoken agreement of pretending to still be together also worked during the christening. Jill's mother even commented on what nice couple they were, and how exceptionally beautiful Dana was. In fact, she was almost as much in love with Dana as with her grandson and happily offered to take her when the girl started to get bored while they waited in front of the church. D was very relieved to be able to hand her to someone else since Leon as godfather had been trusted with Jamie and couldn't take her.

"Truly, one should think this is exciting enough for her," he muttered, stepping up to Leon and Jill, who were just trying to get Jamie into the white christening gown.

"She's spoiled, D, there're no pets around she could play with," Leon answered distractedly, holding Jamie's arm. "Eh, boy, you wanna look good, dontcha? 'Tis your big day, after all."

He startled when Jill suddenly stopped trying to get her son into the gown and instead hurried to greet a familiar figure. A bright smile flitted over his face. "Sandy! Hey, long time no see!"

"You can say that loud," his friend and occasional affair replied and hugged him around the baby on his arms. Jamie blinked at her with wide eyes when she tickled his chin, then hid his head in Leon's shoulder. "Hey Jamie, nice to meet you again. Have you really already forgotten me?"

"I didn't know you were coming," Leon said and smiled when he saw D greeting Sandra with a warm smile.

"I didn't know I was coming either this morning. Short notice meeting on Monday, so I took the chance at getting the first flight down here," Sandra replied, then had to bend down and take a squealing Dana up, who lavished her with kisses. "Hey, at least one child remembers me. Hello Dana, my darling! How're you doing?"

"I'm not wearing pampers anymore," Dana told proudly, making the adults snort.

"That's great," Sandy replied, trying to be earnest. "You're a big girl already, aren't you?"

"Yeah. But Daddy says I'm not allowed at the hotplates when he cooks."

That got Leon an amused glance from D. Sighing, he explained again. "Yes, Dana, because although you're big enough not to wear pampers anymore, you're still too small to cook all on your own. We'll wait a little longer with that."

"Till my next birthday," Dana said. D and Leon exchanged a look.

"Perhaps a little longer yet, Dana. Now go back to Jill's mum, okay? Look, she's waiting for you there, and I think she's got a cookie."

Sandra laughed when Dana immediately took off at highest speed. "No doubt whose sweet tooth she inherited," she grinned. "Dear me, Leon, I know I should be used to it by now, but hearing such a squirt calling you "Daddy" is still -"

"I know exactly what you mean," Jill cut in. "I had to call my mother Grandma when I introduced her to Jamie. God, I felt weird!"

"Hell, you ask me! At least you had some time beforehand to get used to the thought of being a mum," Leon protested, grinning. D, having moved so he stood beside him, made a slight move, almost unnoticed.

Sandy rescued them. "Wouldn't have made any difference. You'd've been just the same clueless father had you known years before," she voiced dryly, making Jill laugh, which in turn made Jamie laugh, too. The bells chiming reminded them that they still had to get his left arm into the christening gown, and after a few chaotic moments, they were in the church.

The ceremony more or less went by in a blur. Leon didn't even have time to feel uncomfortable in his role as godfather; plus, the priest was a nice man who seemed to feel his insecurity and made sure Leon knew where to step and what to say. Jill beamed the whole time, even Dana behaved, although Leon could see that she was bored soon.

It was over pretty quickly, for which not only Leon was grateful. D had started to fear during the last minutes that Dana would start to complain, but much to his relief, she was quiet until they went out again. Leon had to stay back, because Jill insisted on photos, so he talked to her mother.

"I wanna go home, Bàbà," Dana suddenly announced into their conversation. D changed to Chinese and replied, telling her that they'd go to a café now to have tea and cake, but Dana was stubborn and started to cry when he wouldn't give in.

"Hey now, what's the matter, sweetie?" Leon asked, coming out of the church with Jamie again in his arms. Worried, he looked at D. The kami sighed as he rocked the crying child. "She says she wants to go home. I'm sorry, Leon, but I think she is tired; she didn't sleep that much last night, after all…"

"Do you really wanna go home rather than have some cake with me?" Jill asked, petting Dana's hair, but the girl turned her head away and continued crying. She looked at D and shrugged. "Well, I guess you don't have a choice."

"Yeah, let's better take her home before it gets worse," Leon agreed and wanted to hand Jamie over to his mother.

"But Leon!" Sandy and Jill's mum protested both, looking at him.

D hastily interjected. "Leon, it's fine. We don't both have to go."

"Yeah, Leon, you could stay while D takes Dana home," Jill suggested, her eyes pleading. "I mean, of course you're welcome to come back, but if she's so tired…"

Leon looked at D. "Okay with you?" he asked quietly. D smiled and easily agreed to it. After all, Leon was the godfather and should be there as long as there was official party.

But he had to admit to himself that he was also glad to escape the masquerade, even if only for a while.

* * *

In the end, he didn't return to them, because a customer was waiting in front of the door when he arrived, so he quickly laid Dana down and then took care of the shop. Truth be told, he wasn't all that intent on doing smalltalk with Jill's family, nice as they might be.

"You know, Jill's mum was quite disappointed that you didn't return," someone said behind his back and made him almost jump when the customer had left again. Turning to Leon, he smiled.

"I'm very sorry to disappoint Mrs. Freshney, but as you can see, I was very sought after here."

"Told her that, too." Leon came fully inside and carefully placed a package on the table. "She made me take some cake along for you and the little angel." He snorted, bemused. "Concerning that, where's the "little angel"?"

Right on cue, a small voice started calling out. D had turned half to go to the back when he stopped, sighing. "There's another customer coming. Could you please?"

"Sure." The blonde picked up the package again and went into the back, leaving D to deal with the customer.

* * *

He followed them to Leon's room after that one, taking a pot with tea along. Dana was exceptionally happy to see him; apparently Leon had forbidden her to eat any cake before D turned up, which he rewarded with a thankful smile.

The girl was still quite wound up and talked about the christening all the time, giving D the feeling that her tiredness had been due to being overstrained by the event. Well, she was used to a more quiet life now again. One couldn't call the weeks since Leon's injury exciting; all in all, it had been the same routine in the hospital every day.

"But why did the man pour water over Jamie's head? He didn't like it," she inquired impatiently, wriggling around on the sofa.

"Because that's holy water, Dana," Leon answered. "You know, Jill believes in god, and god is the one who made the water holy. Jill believes that Jamie's going to have luck in his life when the priest pours holy water over his head."

Dana was silent for a moment, then she spoke again. "Did someone pour holy water over my head, too, when I was a real baby like Jamie?"

Leon sent a helpless glance at D. "Uh…"

"No, Dana, nobody did that to you," D replied quickly.

"Why not?"

He was considering an answer, but Leon got first. He grinned and patted Dana's hair. "Do you really want some guy to pour water over your head, sweetie? You didn't like me doing that yesterday when you were taking your bath."

Dana tilted her head to the side and thought. Then her small face lit up. "No, I didn't," she said happily. "But you could wear the same clothes the man had."

Leon rolled his eyes upwards. "Not yet three years old and already a fashion victim," he commented and let Dana slip down from his knees. "Go play, sweetie, and tell Tetsu to keep you out of the kitchen. D, that's your fault."

The kami sat down opposite to him and offered Leon a slice of cake. "To what exactly are you referring? Dear Tetsu, her curiosity or the clothes?"

Leon snorted and took a bite, then grimaced. "Dammit, that stuff can't get any more sugary, can it? I'm talking about the clothes, of course, what else, dumbhead? Well, okay… curiosity could be a point as well. Curious as a freakin' cat." He grinned at D.

"Language. And I am no more curious than you," the kami admonished. Silence fell.

He broke it again a few minutes later. "Do you wish to have Dana baptised?"

Leon played with his spoon and laid it aside, sighing deeply. "Listen, D, I don't blame you for not having her baptised… it's not your culture, why should you?"

D looked up at him, his eyes blank, and Leon knew he was again scolding himself for not thinking about something that might be important for Leon. Quickly he growled.

"Stop it, D. Now. Don't even start going there, we talked about it. It's done and gone, I'm trying not to blame you for it, and you shouldn't blame yourself either."

The serene mask cracked and D smiled a little, nodding his consent. Encouraged, Leon continued. "Anyway, I don't give a damn if Dana's baptised or not. I never really believed in all that shit anyway. If god loves all children, he'll love Dana too, no matter if someone poured some assumedly holy water over her head or not. And if he doesn't give a damn about them, he's not gonna give a damn about her if she gets a wet head either."

D looked at him, interest in his eyes. "Were you baptised, Leon?" he asked, reaching for his cup.

The blonde grimaced and nodded. "Chris, too. Right after he was born. Dunno if my mom still got to know it… anyway, I told you she believed in god. But I don't. So."

The young kami smiled gently. "Then we shall leave the decision up to Dana, when she is older," he suggested.

Leon agreed, smiling back. Sometimes they were quite good at finding compromises. Sometimes.

D sipped the last of his tea and looked at the clock at the wall, his eyes going a little wide. "Oh my, is it already so late?" he exclaimed, standing up hurriedly. "Leon, could you watch out for Dana for a while? I'm afraid there's a very important customer coming in a few minutes, he called before you came, and I've still to get dressed properly…"

The blonde chuckled. "You and your time management, truly. Go dress up, I'll take care of the kid." D smiled at him and hurried to the door. For a moment Leon looked at the wall, hard, then he stood, too, and followed him. Leaning against the doorframe, he watched the kami descend the stairs. "Hey, D, you got anything to do later?" he asked, just as he had reached the bottom.

Surprised, D turned and shook his head. "Not that I knew. Why?" he replied.

The human tried to look casual. "Nah, nothing, I just thought – well, if you're interested – since Jill's mom's here at the moment and can baby-sit – well, to cut it short, we decided to go out later, you know, Jill, Sandy and I. And I just wanted to ask if you'd like to come along."

His eyes hung on D's face with barely suppressed anticipation, both anxious and hopeful. D chose his words carefully. "Do you really think it would be wise to take me to the places you go to when you want to amuse yourselves? I might look somewhat out of place there," he said, trying not to decline directly.

Leon shrugged, still watching him alertly. "You don't have to dress up so fancily, then nobody'll say anything. And you can stand at a table if you want. Nobody's gonna force you to dance."

"Dana?"

"Tetsu, Pon-chan and Honlon? It's just for a few hours. Besides, we'll only leave when she should already be asleep."

"Very well, if you wish my company, I shall come along," D conceded after a moment of thinking. If it was important for Leon that he was present at his unofficial birthday party, then he would come along. There were worse things than spending the evening in a club. He'd done so before, many times.

Leon smiled, relieved. "Okay. Jill's gonna come at half past ten or so. There's no point in leaving earlier."

D couldn't hold himself back. "Are you going to pick me up?" he inquired, his lashes fanning out over his cheeks.

Leon gave a start and then laughed. "You silly," he said, sounding amused. "Yeah, I'll come knock at your door at twenty past ten. And if you're not done by then, I'm gonna leave you here and find me a nice chick somewhere else."

Dana called for him and he turned in the direction of her voice while D went into his room, smiling smugly. "I surely doubt you're going to find a girl anywhere half as pretty as I am."

* * *

**A/N: **Yes, I noticed some of you checked out the blog, too. Comment function's enabled, so you're welcome to leave comments there as well if you want to ^^ Otherwise, thanks to all the people who wrote quite stern reviews and told me that there are still people reading - here's a hug for all of you :-)

My dear anonymous reviewer: I can only answer you here, so I hope very much you're going to find your answer: Thanks for your review, too. Well, it's probably gonna take a while until Leon'll discover the truth about the seagulls... but I hope you'll tag along until we get to know :-)


	9. Night out on the Town

**Night out on the Town**

The blonde was for a change punctual when he knocked at D's door a few hours later. The kami hurriedly closed the last strap of his skirt and went to open the door. "I knew you'd not be done in time," Leon said, grinning, then stopped as he took in the sight. His eyes went wide. "Woah, D, you're… uh…"

"Could you please close these here?" D asked and extended an arm towards Leon, urging the human to close the strap at the top of his long gloves. Leon did as he was told, a stunned look on his face. "So, do you still think I'm going to stick out in that club of yours?" D teased, a smirk on his lips.

The human gulped, then nodded. "D… I know I'm not the right one to tell you that, but if you don't want to have guys chasing your ass, you should dress less… eye-catching. Not that you look bad or something," he added hastily, seeing D's eyebrow raise. "Only that… I mean, you're pretty alright… but…"

"Close your mouth and keep it thus, Leon. I am able to take care of myself, I assure you," D ordered, adjusting his other glove.

"You never dressed like this for me," Leon mumbled, following him to the parlour. The kami sighed.

"Yes, but do you truly think it would have changed anything had I dressed up like this for you?"

"No." And Leon looked pretty miserable admitting this. D took pity on him, stepped up to him and caressed his cheek with one gloved hand.

"Clothes are nothing, Leon. I loved you despite your terrible T-shirts, and you would have loved me no more had I dressed up for you. So why spend time regretting things that cannot be changed?"

The human didn't get to answer because Jill knocked at the door right then, and she whistled seeing D. "You look too good to be true! Can I tell everybody you're my boyfriend? Wow, I've never seen anything like this. Hot!"

D smiled as he kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Jill. Especially since Leon was just telling me I was overdressed."

"You are. But never care, because it looks a damn hell lot better than all of the other overdressed people there," Jill said, beaming, and then elbowed her friend. "I can't believe you were stupid enough to let him go."

D quickly interjected, asked something about Jamie and Jill's mother, thus sparing Leon from having to answer. The blonde trudged a little bit behind him and Jill on the whole way to the club and D started to get worried. Was Leon really thinking that clothes would've changed the outcome of their relationship?

By the time they went inside, Leon had finally worked up the courage to tell D something. When the kami came to stand beside him at the entrance, he bent to him. "You look beautiful," he murmured into his ear, blushing, and D gave him a mischievous smile that eased Leon's heart and at the same time worried him. The kami was too beautiful not to be noticed, and while his usual attire did nothing to encourage flirtations – god knew Leon knew about that – this one was… like Jill had posed it, hot. And it made Leon uncomfortable, because although he wasn't D's boyfriend anymore, he still felt kind of responsible for him out here in the human world. No matter how many times D told him he could protect himself, this here just wasn't his world. The kami had only ever come to such clubs in the role of a seller of dreams, never as a guest himself, and Leon couldn't help but worry about that.

Sandy was waiting for them inside at a small table in a hidden corner. She and Jill went to the bar immediately to get them drinks while Leon and D took their time to survey their surroundings. The music was loud and there were already quite a few dancers on the dancing floor. The women's eyes were gleaming when they joined them again, drinks in their hands. "Here, I got you orange juice. That okay?" Jill called to be heard over the beats. D smiled at her gratefully, taking a sip. Leon and Sandy got beer, of course, and Jill had gotten herself a quite colourful drink. D wasn't sure if there was alcohol in it and asked. She chuckled. "No, that wouldn't be good. After all, I'm still breast-feeding Jamie. Don't want him to drink at such a young age."

D was used to people in clubs, but he still marvelled at the differences in behaviour those three humans he was with were showing. While Jill and Leon were quite content to stay at their table, occasionally greeting people who were walking by, Sandy was restlessly looking around, her eyes wide and the pupils dilated. Even when she talked to her friends, yelling because of the volume, she was always looking around and finally simply darted off into the mass on the dance floor. Jill and Leon both chuckled, sharing a conspirative look.

"What is she doing now?" D asked, leaning towards Leon and breathing in his scent. The club didn't only affect Sandra; he could already smell the effects it had on Leon, too. The pheromones were quite remarkable and made his own hormones spin as well.

"Looking for a victim," Leon shouted back and grinned when he caught sight of his friend on the dance floor, flanked by two guys who were eying her with interest. Jill shook her head, but she obviously wasn't really opposed to Sandra's actions. "Hey, you wanna dance too?" she called to her friend and then looked at D questioningly.

"I shall look after your things, if you want," he offered and she smiled, taking off her jacket. "That's nice, thanks. I'll come back later and then you can go dance."

D laughed softly. "I surely doubt that I will dance at all today," he replied, amused by the thought. No, he was not going to dance here, in front of everybody's eyes. He was quite content to stand here at the table and watch the events. He saw Jill leading Leon to the dance floor, the blonde sending a last questioning glance at D, but he just replied by smiling. This was not his world, Leon knew that. He'd come along because the human had asked.

So he turned back to his juice and watched them dancing, a smile flitting over his face every now and then, especially when he caught sight of Sandy again.

"Hey pretty, you're here all alone?" a voice murmured into his ear and D turned around half to look at the newcomer.

"Excuse me?" he said politely, falling back into his mask. "Can I help you, Sir?"

The man came around completely and grinned at D. He was tall, broad-shouldered and towered over D like a great bear. The young kami had to bite back a smirk. Ah yes, the promised effect of his attire. He hadn't chosen it for nothing. He felt like playing with humans today.

"You could help me by dancing with me. I'm afraid I'm gonna break an ankle if you don't keep an eye on me," the man said, grinning even wider. Well, that had to be one of the worst chat-up lines D had ever heard, and that included Leon's.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I'm afraid I do not dance," he replied. He didn't intend to dance with anyone.

"A shame, if you ask me. But surely you won't to stand here in that dark corner the whole evening? You know, there's a nice little table over there…"

"I'm here with friends, and they would surely miss me if I went away," D denied at once.

The man looked disappointed. Then his face lit up again. "Ah, but I'd keep you company in their absence." He faked a little bow. "If your majesty would agree to that."

He did have some manners. Or at least, he was acting as if he did to mock D. The kami smiled brightly. "If you would be so kind…"

Out of the corners of his eyes he saw another man glaring at his new acquaintance with envy. He listened patiently to what the guy was telling him – he was bragging, who'd have thought that now? – and took out his fan. Protected by it, he flashed the other man a quick, inviting smile, before he again looked up at his momentary company with wide eyes. Oh yes, he was going to have at least some distraction, even if he wouldn't have much fun tonight.

Leon didn't notice the goings-on at their table at first, before Jill suddenly chuckled right beside his ear. He'd been dancing with his friend and not paying much attention to anyone else, but now he looked up, followed her glance and saw D in the middle of three men of different age, social class and origin. The kami looked quite small in between them, but to Leon it was obvious that he was the master over there, while the men were – well, fighting for his grace would describe it best, he decided after staring for a moment.

Unintentionally he stepped away from Jill and wanted to make his way back to their table. A hand at his arm stopped him. Jill resolutely grabbed his chin and turned his face back to her. "You're not his boyfriend anymore. He's entitled to flirt with whoever he likes," she said firmly. "And D can look out for himself, Leon, trust me."

He gave in for now, but he wasn't comfortable at all. By the time they finally returned from the dance floor, D had managed to attract an even bigger cluster of admirers and Leon immediately felt out of place when he saw D in their midst, using his fan, lashes and everything else he had at his disposal to focus their attention on him. Yeah, it was right that they were broken up. He just didn't deserve a guy like D, someone who could draw attention with a snap of his fingers. He didn't deserve any of D, not even living in the shop now.

D caught his eyes by accident. His smile wavered and for a moment, his eyes became dark and sad. Leon then realised that D wasn't really having fun. He was amused by the humans courting him, but from his point of view, he just saw them as distraction from boredom. At that moment Leon rued having taken D along. Why did they have to be so different? There had to be a way to celebrate with which both of them were happy.

"Hey D," he said, determinedly elbowing one of the men aside (he couldn't very well elbow the women to the side, of which there were two here, too). Jill followed him, a wrinkle on her forehead. "You having fun?"

"Yes, thank you," the kami chirped, his mask not letting on anything. "Here are your things, Jill."

"Thanks, Count," she smiled, falling back into the more formal approach. Leon wondered if she even noticed, but at the moment D was emanating such kingliness that it was difficult not to address him with "Count". Even he felt the need to prove that his presence here at D's side was legal.

He nearly rolled his eyes at the thought. He didn't need to prove anything. Not to Jill, neither to D, and least of all to all those people who knew shit about them. "You didn't happen to have seen Sandy, have you?" he asked instead, making a sparkle appear in their eyes, but they both shook their heads.

"No, I haven't seen her for a while, but didn't she go to the bar with that young man?" D tried to supply him with a location.

Leon wrinkled his brow in fake worry. "Yeah, maybe. Well, then I'll better have a look. You know what she's like." He couldn't help the dirty grin then; Sandy was kind of promiscuous, and chances were good that she was indeed at the bar, making someone pay for her drinks.

Finally Jill caught up on his intention, too, and slipped the strap of her handbag over her shoulder. "Good idea," she agreed. "And if she's there, tell her to keep her hands off whoever she's just shanghai'ing from me."

Leon nodded, seeing a light that had nothing to do with boredom anymore in D's eyes. "Okay, but perhaps we'd best leave now. You know, just in case," he suggested. D's admirers looked outright furious, but he left it up to the kami to tell them that the party was over while he dug a way through the crowd to the bar.

* * *

Five minutes later they were standing outside in the relatively fresh night air, Jill, Sandy and D giggling while Leon shook his head. "You little bastard," he said to D while they made their way down the street, trying to appear inconspicuous. "Why did you have to do that? I bet I can never go inside that club again without being asked where you are."

"Well, you like to dance. I like to be courted as I deserve to be," D replied and stuck his nose up in the air before another giggling fit made him lose all dignity. Leon pinched him. "Stop that! You were having fun on the dance floor, so I had to find myself an occupation!"

Both women burst out with laughter. "You call that occupation? Those two guys, the Asian-looking one and the bodybuilder, they were ready to fight for your hand!" Jill laughed and leaned on Leon to avoid breaking down. "Hell, you seen their faces? If you'd made one move towards one of them, they'd have slit each other's throats."

Leon looked at D and shook his head, the uncomfortable feeling rising again in him. Did the poor guys even realise how much D had played them? Probably not, and what worried him most was that he actually could, in a way, understand D's way of action. That was, after all, what most humans did, Leon had seen it often enough to know. They courted D and fought for his attention and grace.

Luckily he was distracted by the sign he'd been looking for. Pointing to it, he asked, "Anyone interested in going in there?"

D's face fell a little; he obviously prepared himself for another club. But Jill squeezed his arm. "That's not a club. It's a kind of restaurant," she explained. "It's real cool, D, I bet you'll like it. It's more of an aquarium, actually."

The young kami blinked in surprise. "I never knew restaurants are open all night," he said and glanced at a clock. It was showing a little after one o'clock.

Jill smiled. "In fact, it's only been there for a few months. I've been there once, and it's real cool. You've gotta go there at night, because it's outside, actually, and the aquariums look much better at night."

His curiosity was sparked, so D agreed to taking a look. It couldn't get more boring than in that club. Yes, those people had been amusing, but nothing more. His refusal to dance had cut him off having fun, so to say. But he really couldn't imagine dancing there at all, not even if his friends were there with him. It might be fine for humans to make those strange movements, but he only found them undignified.

He held his breath as they entered the garden after being led through the entrance. It was big, with little pools and the mentioned aquariums everywhere, in between small tables for six people at the most. There was no sound except the soft murmur of the guests and the running water, because the pools were connected to the aquariums, allowing the fish to swim as free as possible. They glowed softly in the night, supplying the garden with light.

Leon smiled at him. "See? Thought you'd like that. Let's sit down over there, okay?"

D could barely take his eyes off the fish as they chose a table right beside a small pool, and finally he bent over it with an apologetic smile, extending his hand towards the fish. They came at once, of course, and his companions exchanged amused glances as he started to talk to them.

However, Leon didn't tell his friends that he was actually seeing a bunch of young girls and boys sitting in the pool, fighting for the place nearest to the Count's hand. D murmured softly and his face glowed with joy. Jill nudged Leon and winked. "Just like him," she whispered. He agreed and then turned to the waiter, not bothering to tell D to stop talking to his animal friends. Instead he ordered for him; wasn't that difficult, after all, D just needed vegetables.

The soft murmur of the water returned some of his peace of mind to him, too, as did the sight of the dressed-up kami so quiet and happy with the fish. He liked D better if the kami was quiet, for some reason; not because he wanted him to shut up, but because it was much more D's true nature.

Or was it? Leon considered that thought, looking at the young being beside him. D could change so much and so fast if he wanted to; but those masks barely ever felt right, now that Leon knew what D had to hide behind them. But when he was quiet like now, his face so open and relaxed, or when he was holding Dana in his arms – that was right.

Sandy nudged his leg and raised an eyebrow. "You can't tell me you're not in love with him anymore," she murmured, just loud enough for Leon to understand her, and he blushed. Then grazed D again with an affectionate look.

"I doubt I'll ever stop being in love with him," he replied just as quietly and fought down the urge to tug at D's arm, embrace the young kami to show his affection. Sandy opened her mouth, the look on her face clearly telling him what she wanted to say.

Luckily their food arrived and he was spared more efforts, for his stomach now told him very clearly that he was hungry. D noticed as well, rose and looked at his plate in confusion. "When did we order?" he inquired, his mismatched eyes wide with surprise.

Jill giggled. "You didn't order at all," she said. "Leon did that for you. You were so busy with those fish…"

"Oh." D blushed involuntarily and then took a closer look at his food, trying to determine the contents. Leon pointed at him with his fork. "No meat, D; you really think I'd forget you don't eat meat?"

A pointed eyebrow was raised at the fork. "Considering the fact that you frequently forget your table manners, I would not put it past you to forget that, too."

Before Leon could reply to that, Sandy interrupted. "Oh, Count, now you're doing him an injustice. Leon would never forget his table manners; his only problem is that he never learned some in the first place while he learned very well that you're a vegetarian. After all, you've a quite irresistible way of teaching him…"

"Do I now?" D replied dryly, taking a bite and smiling at the woman. Leon muttered something under his breath, of which he only understood the words "teacups" and "freakin' fury". He wanted to stay serious, but the pointed look with which Leon regarded his glass made him lose it. Putting down his fork, he tilted his head back and laughed freely, stunning all three humans for a second.

Then they chimed in.

* * *

It was early morning when they finally returned home. Jill had left them already some time ago when her mother called because of Jamie. Sandy had then decided that she'd have another look at the club and left grinning broadly at Leon's pointed look. But instead of returning to the shop, Leon headed to one of the small parks in Los Angeles and they strolled through the green in silence. Every now and then some animal would come out, take a look at them and then continue on its nightly business, and they shared a look and a smile before continuing on their way.

But now the first hints of dawn were creeping up at the horizon, the air was getting chilly and Leon felt heavy sleepiness in his body. He wanted to return to the shop now, fall into his bed and sleep for some hours; sleep with the feeling that everything was indeed alright, if only for today.

He left D in front of his bedroom, walked a few more steps and then turned, hurrying back to him. D startled when he felt the arms around him, stiffened at the touch of the other body. Leon's voice was a mere murmur in his ear, tired and happy.

"Thanks for coming along, D," he whispered, hugging him tight for a moment. The kami tried to fight the sudden, unwelcome pain back, but all he accomplished was turning it into a bittersweet ache that hummed through his heart.

He didn't know if Leon picked up on that or if the human himself felt suddenly uncomfortable with his actions. But the arms let loose; steps walked away and then he was alone. For a moment D stared at the door to his bedroom, unmoving.

Then a small smile stole onto his lips and he wrapped his arms around himself, closing his eyes. "It was entirely my pleasure," he whispered. "Happy birthday, Leon."

* * *

**A/N:** Two chapters today, since they're already online on the blog, too. I'll have to find a quiet moment to upload the rest, too, but for now I've gotta leave for school - send me some intelligent thoughts, please. I think I'm gonna fail my presentation - not so much because it's bad, more because my voice is nearly non-existent at the moment...


	10. Progressing Somehow

**Progressing Somehow**

Reality caught up with Leon again Monday morning at work. He stared at his desk glumly, trying to get the light feeling of yesterday's celebration at the shop back, but it was no use. Writing reports just couldn't match sitting around in the parlour, joking around with D and Sandy, or riding on Honlon's back over the jungle and mountains that had to be as great as the Himalaya, judging from above. It just couldn't match the good vibes D was sending off while he was laughing at a joke or smiling at Sandy without his mask.

But he had to do it nevertheless. Giving in with a groan, Leon set to work and managed to get some of it done before the phone ringing pulled him back into the real world. Absent-mindedly he took it up. "LAPD, Detective Orcot, how can I help you?"

"Hi Mr. Detective," a voice at the other end said, making him stiffen for a moment, a strange feeling creeping up in his guts. "I just called to ask if there're any news about the seagulls."

Leon slowly let out some air and answered. "Hi, Miss Ward. No, sorry, not so far. I'm still waiting for the lab results. Have you heard anything new?"

"Not so far." She had a warm voice, pretty deep for a woman, one that made it easy to talk to her. "I wish I had. I went to the police station and tried to find the officer I had talked to, but either he wasn't there or I didn't recognise him."

Leon wrinkled his brow. "Miss Ward, you really should be careful," he warned, leaning back in his chair. "It might be dangerous if someone tried to keep things covered up and then realised you're a possible danger."

"I know. But I really needed to do something, can't you understand that? Those seagulls, they were like my friends. I've known them for years now, heard them every day, and now it's just so – silent. It wakes me up every morning, the silence."

"I'm sure there'll be seagulls at the beach again in a while."

"Of course." She sounded slightly impatient and as if he was disappointing her. "But can't you understand me? I mean, if your friend's-"

"Yeah, I know. I know, he's freaking, too."

"See? I mean, it's just… there's nothing there anymore. I bet that he'd like that beach much better if you'd get that matter cleared up as soon as possible so you two can…"

Leon felt his face going hot and red. "Whoa, no, slow!" he interrupted. "No, it's not – he's not -"

"He's not your boyfriend?" Adrianne Ward sounded surprised. Leon took a deep breath.

"No, he isn't my boyfriend. He is… uh, actually he is a she and only the mother of my child. We're not, I mean, it's not like that and…" He trailed off and felt his stomach lurch, although it wasn't even a lie. Biologically speaking, D _was_ Dana's mother, since he had given birth to her. Still, Leon knew that the kami didn't let the child call him "Father" for nothing.

Adrianne was quiet for a moment. "Right, your child's mother then. Am I supposed to understand those complications? I mean, it sounds interesting alright, but… complicated, in a way."

He couldn't help the chuckle. "Who're you telling that."

"I'd like to know more about that, if you don't mind. I think you're a pretty fascinating man."

Whoa. Leon's jaw dropped for a moment. She definitely was straight-forward.

And quite amused by his stunned state, for he heard her chuckling quietly. "I'm sorry, was that too blunt? I guess yes. I apologise. Anyway, if you wouldn't mind having a cup of coffee with me someday or the other to talk a little – and preferably also about the seagulls – you could give me a call."

Leon could feel the grin stretching his face. "Well, thanks, Miss Ward. I'll keep that in mind," he said, trying to be polite. "And I'll be sure to call you should I get any news about the seagulls." Now that was polite, wasn't it? He hadn't declined straight away. "And be careful in the meantime. Losing one of two witnesses ain't fun."

She laughed, obviously not offended by his rather hesitant attitude. "I will. Goodbye then, and have a nice day."

Leon answered and put the receiver down, shaking his head with a smile. Whatever.

* * *

He was quite surprised when the phone in the pet shop rang the same evening and his aunt's voice sounded through.

"Thank god it's you!" she sighed after hearing Leon rattle off D's little speech (the new version). "I prayed it'd be you, but I wasn't sure if you'd be in the shop at all, and your cellphone was off…"

"What's the matter? Is something wrong with Chris?" Leon's worry instantly increased hearing her voice, which sounded tired and unhappy.

"No, Chris is fine, Leon, just fine. I just wanted to tell you that he's going to visit you this weekend. As compensation for him not being in LA yesterday."

"Okay…" Leon stretched, surprised and waiting for her to elaborate further. The first jab of joy was quickly replaced by suspicion. Mary didn't sound overly happy.

"Did you have a nice day, anyway? Wasn't the christening on Saturday, too? I'm sorry I didn't call you, Sam hurt her ankle and we had a lot…"

"No problem," Leon cut her off, his instincts screaming. "Chris called me and told me happy birthday from you too, and also told me about Sam's ankle. It's okay, really." He was used to people doing smalltalk to get away from the real issues. Last but not least from D. "What's the matter? I mean, the real matter, Aunt Mary. I know what Uncle Arthur said last week when I called to ask if Chris could come for my birthday. Why do you send him down now?"

A deep sigh at the other end, then Mary surrendered. "Arthur and Josie are having another fight. I don't want Chris to be around the whole time to witness this. He's gone through too much already." Now she was firm and business-like, but Leon knew her enough to know when he was not being told the whole truth.

Still he conceded easily, guessing that D and Dana would be happy to see Chris, too. And, since D was just entering, told him about Mary's request, which made the kami lighten up at once.

"So, what're we gonna do with him once he's here?" Leon asked, putting the phone back down after getting the details about Chris's flight from Mary. "We could go camping."

D's happy face froze. His eyebrows shot up. "Camping?" he echoed. "Whatever for?"

Leon leaned back comfortably. "Because then Dana and I can have a look at some other rooms in here," he replied easily. "And Chris always wanted me to meet his Philippe friend. We didn't make it to him yet, so we could go this weekend together with Chris."

"Camping in Philippe's room will get hard, since he lives in the ocean," D pointed out and absent-mindedly scratched Tetsu's fur. The totetsu yawned and rolled onto his back to offer his belly to D. Leon looked away. Seeing the pets as humans was okay, thanks to Kanan. Seeing D scratch the belly of a half-naked young man was – discomforting somehow.

"Take him to Kate's room," the mystic creature suggested. "Dana hasn't been in there since months, and Kate's missing her terribly. If you talk to her beforehand, she'll not get at Leon once he's inside."

"Great idea, furball," Leon said dryly. "I like to be alive, thanks very much."

"It is an option," D agreed, his eyes sparkling, and Leon knew the kami loved the idea of seeing him deal with the grizzly. Groaning, he conceded defeat.

"But we'll camp the human way!" he tried to make at least one thing clear.

After a moment, D nodded.

* * *

He rued having consented to Leon's wish when he found out what a true human camping trip required and scowled at the smirking human when he handed him a list with things to buy. But since he'd promised Leon they would, and since Chris already knew and was overjoyed at the prospect, D left the children in Shao Lin's care and went shopping for camping items. Luckily he could have them delivered to the shop, and he even managed to change one of his customer appointments so that he could stop by and have a cup of tea before continuing his trip through the city.

Walking by the city hall, he spontaneously decided to pay Peggy a visit. He had a few minutes, Lin wouldn't expect him back at the shop before three. So he entered and asked the secretary if the mayor was present. Two minutes later he was welcomed by the man, who seemed practically overjoyed at his appearance. "Dear Count, do come in! Where have you left that officer? Isn't he usually around?" he asked and led the way to his bureau.

D smiled and patted Peggy's head while he answered. "Detective Orcot is probably at either the precinct or out on the streets, working."

The mayor chuckled a little. "Well, Count, not that I want to pry, but I have to confess, I'm curious," he said and D inwardly rolled his eyes. "You know, I heard rumours about you and him... Not that there hadn't been rumours before you left, too, but now…"

"We are raising a child together," D forestalled any questions concerning their private relationship to each other. He was surely not going to tell this human that he and Leon were broken up at the moment – at least in private. And that made him cast a quick glance at the ring, followed by a smile.

The mayor moved uneasily. "You do know, Count, that in this state, men aren't allowed to..." he began and then obviously didn't know how to go on.

D looked at him. "The child is mine, Richard. I do not think that anyone has a right to tell me who I let take part in her education. Detective Orcot teaches her English."

He still looked suspicious, but also somewhat relieved. "Well, in this case... of course you have the right to decide who's teaching her. I just want to – well, you know, just be careful..."

D's voice wasn't exactly icy, but definitely cool. "Richard, I assure you that Detective Orcot is fully entitled to take care of this child."

"Yes, yes, of course... Say, are you free now? I'm going to have lunch with the attorney in twenty minutes, perhaps you would like to come along?"

D smiled again. "As much as I would like to see Mr. Scott again, I am afraid I must decline. I have to return to the shop."

The mayor looked disappointed. "Oh well, I guess you have work yourself."

"Thank you very much for the invitation, and please tell Mr. Scott I hope he and Mariah are well." D still knew how to butter those guys up. The look on the man's face told him he'd succeeded again.

"Oh, here, before you leave..." The mayor looked around for something on his desk and then produced two tickets he handed to D. "I heard it's a good play, but I don't have the time to go. So if you want..."

The young kami smiled. "Richard, thank you. I shall be sure to have a look at it."

The human's grin was broad and a little stupid. "Well then, Count, have a nice day and a good evening. Perhaps you can make time for lunch sometime?"

"I will try," D promised and tried not to think how he should manage that, since his days were pretty busy with two small children to care for. Even if the second one was only at the shop when Jill was working.

* * *

Leon, however, wasn't that happy to learn of the tickets. He made a face. "Theatre, D? I don't know..." he complained. "You know how I stick out there..."

"And I didn't stick out at that club of yours?" the kami replied sharply, not planning to give in. "I'll go in any case. And I have the second ticket, but perhaps you'd be happier if you stayed here and looked after Dana?"

Leon's face showed relief, which quickly changed into anger when D spoke the next words. "Perhaps Lin-san would like to go with me... she deserves a little something for being such a nice babysitter..."

"Like hell you're going with the Shao brat!" the blonde exploded, striding over and grabbing the spare ticket. D smirked and he glared. "That's not fair play, and you know that!" he accused the kami, who shrugged and turned to one of the incense pots.

"Oh, isn't it?"

Leon growled and sulked for two hours. Then he slowly came down again and instead started to look worried. D knew why. The only time he'd been to a ballet with Leon, he'd been everything but happy, surrounded by all the high society and feeling out of place.

The kami stopped when he went past him to the kitchen and laid a hand on his shoulder. "If you want, I'll help you pick out your clothes," he offered, remembering the christening.

His face showed indecision. "I don't know, D... I'm not gonna wear a tux or something like that."

"Which is a shame," D couldn't suppress and smirked at the glare he got.

"I'm not gonna wear such a stupid suit!"

"Yes, yes, alright. Still, you do look good in it."

"I look like a stupid penguin!"

D rolled his eyes. "If you say so... I'm sure Dana would love seeing you dressed like Lucky."

Leon's horrified expression told him that this had just been the right way to ensure the human would never wear a tux again. D turned to the hotplates and started making dinner, smirking to himself. He could wait.

* * *

"D?"

Leon bounced into the shop, quite clearly in a hurry, but he was received by Shao Lin, who glared at him with animosity. He didn't know what he'd done to earn such dislike from her, but he knew that she very much resented his presence. "Where's D?" he asked flat out, ignoring her glare.

"The Count is doing business," she replied, setting aside her book and turning to the teapot. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Yeah, as if Leon wouldn't know what the fake politeness meant, after having dealt with D for so long. So he barely rolled his eyes at her offer and continued. "Nah, just wanted to ask D if he wants to go pick up Chris with me, 'cause I'm going now. Where're the kids?"

"They are both asleep, Detective Orcot."

Uh, was he supposed to be afraid of that cool tone she had clearly copied from D? So not gonna happen.

Leon grinned at her happily, not admitting that only the prospect of seeing his little brother so soon was preventing a fight with the Chinese girl. "Well then tell D I'll be back with Chris in an hour at the most, and we'll need some food, 'cause he's gonna be hungry."

Lin tried to freeze him to the spot, but unsurprisingly, she didn't succeed. She just didn't have the cold look down like D did. "The Count is not your personal slave, Detective."

"Nope, but my boyfriend, which's as good as."

Leon was out of the shop again before she could reply, clearly flustered. D behind the curtain to the back heaved a silent sigh. Did the human even realise how much he practically forced the citizens of Chinatown to dislike him?

And still, he felt warm inside thinking that Leon did a lot of that just in order to protect D and his feelings. Not many humans would've done that; D could pride himself with having a friend like Leon, he truly could.

And had the human still been here, he might just have gone out and embraced him for that.

* * *

"So we're really gonna go camping? The whole weekend?" Chris wriggled around in the back of the car, excited to the most. Leon smiled at his younger brother in the rear mirror. "Yeah, buddy, just like I promised. D's been out buying camping stuff the whole last week. You should just see it."

"Cool!"

Leon laughed as he pulled into his parking space and killed the engine. "Yeah, right. So have you brought your stuff along?"

"Mom packed it for me." Chris's face sank when he mentioned his mother. "But Dad wasn't happy about it at all."

"Yeah, but Uncle Arthur's not angry at you, Chris, you know that."

"No, only at Josie."

Leon was glad that he managed to take Chris's mind off the family quarrels by walking through Chinatown with him, pointing out new stores that had opened since Chris had been here the last time. But the greatest distraction was of course D, waiting for them at the top of the stairs. Various bypassers smiled as the boy flung himself at the kami and then immediately proceeded to start making nonsense with Dana, Honlon, Tetsu and Pon-chan while Leon and D packed the last stuff.

But he had to take a deep breath when D led them through the door into the dark, quiet wood that he remembered so well from his first meeting with the grizzly bear Kate. Actually, the woods in Yellowstone Park had felt a little like this one, but it was – somehow darker and more dangerous. Just like D's shop in general was more dangerous than nature, in a way.

They didn't get far that day, since it had already been afternoon when they started, and they sat up camp in a clearing next to a stream. D watched Leon trying to set up the tents for a while, mocking him mercilessly that this whole trip had been his idea before he took pity on him and helped, while the children ran around and screamed. In contrast to the adults, they obviously weren't exhausted at all. Which, at least in Honlon's case, wasn't surprising at all.

"So, who's gonna do the cooking?" Leon finally asked, wiping some sweat off his forehead and taking a deep breath. The tents were standing, but he sure was in no mood to cook now. D, guessing his thoughts, rolled his eyes.

"Why do I always have to do the cooking?" he complained, although he was already taking food out of the rucksack Chris had been carrying. "One could really think that Lin-san is right and you only consider me as your housewife."

"Nah, can't be, 'cause if you were, I'd demand sex every night."

Tetsu, sitting beside Leon, choked on the sandwich he'd been chewing. Leon blushed a deep red, obviously surprised himself, while D halted his movements and stared at him wide-eyed. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Really, the opinion you have about women…"

"Isn't as bad as you keep telling me all the time!" the blonde protested, willing his blush down. "And that wasn't meant like I said it!"

"Oh, was it not indeed?" D carefully put herbs into the soup and stirred, trying to keep his eyes on the food. He felt the need to do as he had done last week in that club – lower his lashes and peek at Leon.

Instead, he determinedly stirred the soup. Not going to…

"Well, I'm just saying," Leon muttered. "I haven't had sex for weeks – no, months, since I was comatose so long – and it's just…"

He shut up again, blushing a bright red. D could feel a bad foreboding in his stomach. This wasn't quite normal.

"A guy's got needs, you know?" Leon continued carefully, glancing at the children beside the stream, making sure they weren't listening. "Just because we broke up-"

"I'm fully aware that you are still sexually functional," D hastily interjected and cursed himself a moment later for the unfortunate wording as Tetsu gave up on his sandwich and gaped at them, his face showing that he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I mean, that you are… well, humans are polygamous."

"Yeah," Leon muttered, and D thought he could hear the rock falling off his chest when Chris called for him.

Once he had departed, Tetsu met his eyes and shook his head. "Kill me if you want, Count, but what in hell was that?" he asked, baffled. "You know, you're broken up for real. Which means no flirting either, just like Kanan said. Can't you respect the borderlines you drew yourself?"

D resumed stirring the soup, his cheeks on fire. He was wondering exactly that right now, too. Because what Leon – they – had been doing, was clearly flirting, in a very, very weird way. And now that he thought of it, it had been a little strange since last Sunday and Leon's birthday. Not, not strange, just –

He sighed impatiently and gave up on trying to explain what he felt. It was just there, something he couldn't quite name, that made him feel gentler towards Leon.

Tetsu had watched his master attentively. "Are you attracted to him?" he suddenly voiced, sounding slightly shocked. "Uh-oh, Count…"

For a moment D could feel exhaustion taking hold of him. Oh, no. Did they have to go through every damned problem a relationship like theirs could suffer or what? Why?

Then he felt his lips quirk and looked up at his favourite pet, smiling. "Well, it seems that we'll be spared nothing, Tetsu," he replied, to his own surprise taking this calmly. He would have to handle this, preferably without Leon noticing, but if it had to be, with the human. "Don't worry, I'm quite sure this will be over only too soon. Dinner is ready, would you please call them?"

The totetsu did as he was told, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. D took care not to sit too close to Leon; his realisation seemed to have made the feeling stronger, but it wasn't too bad. In fact, it was nothing he had to worry about, as long as he took care.

"Dana and I'll take the blue tent!" Chris announced happily, setting his soup bowl aside. "And Tetsu and Pon-chan too." His wish was sustained by both girls, who were beaming, although Dana was showing signs of tiredness. Honlon grumbled angrily, but neither Kanan nor Junrei insisted on sleeping in the tent. Leon sent a glance at D, who seemed to have withdrawn a bit since their conversation, but the kami only shrugged. He would certainly not mind sharing a tent with Leon, although he was wondering whether this was a good idea or not at the moment. He wouldn't mind sharing one with the children either, but if they wished to be left alone…

"Okay then, squirts, alright. But at first you're gonna brush your teeth," the blonde said good-naturedly and shushed the kids to the stream again. If Honlon had felt any anger at not being allowed to sleep in the tent (she was in dragon form at the moment, after all), she lost all chagrin and grinned when Leon just looked at her and decided he'd not tell her to brush her teeth. When he accompanied the others into their tent, she curled up around it and listened to the story Leon was telling them.

D meanwhile took care of their tent, smiling at the voice floating over to him through the thin fabric. When Leon came inside half an hour later, he had placed their sleeping bags opposite to each other and set out a small tea table which Leon eyed curiously. "Now where did you get this one from? If it was in my backpack, I'm gonna be angry for having to carry such fuss."

D smiled and poured him a cup of tea. "Just because we're camping like humans doesn't mean I won't find ways of making it more comfortable," he replied.

Leon snorted. "Yeah, and here I was thinking that you don't need comfort."

"I don't," D parried. "But that does not mean that I cannot enjoy luxury if I have to put up with human ways of living."

Leon's eyes sparkled amusedly, but he didn't comment. D shivered slightly and huddled closer into his silken cape. "Anyway, I am tired. I think we should go to sleep soon, too. Dana is probably going to wake up sometime in the night."

"Probably," Leon agreed and looked for a place for his teacup. D took it from him and stashed it in something that looked like the basket he'd been carrying with him the whole time. Leon raised an eyebrow. If that basket worked like the whole shop, no wonder D had managed to make the table fit into it. Handy.

He turned off the light once D was in his sleeping bag, wondering why the kami had kept all his clothes on. He himself undressed quickly in the darkness and then slipped inside his sleeping bag. D had really bought the most expensive things on the market. They were so thick he felt warm the moment he was inside.

Such a spoiled girl.

D rustled with his sleeping bag. It sounded like he was trying to wrap it around himself as tight as possible.

"You cold?" Leon's voice drifted through the darkness.

"A little," D confessed and tried to rearrange his sleeping bag, shivering again. "Why are you asking? Is there anything you would do to change my situation?" He managed just so to make it sound amused instead of flirty. It cost a lot of effort, and D cursed his body for a moment. His body and his big mouth that babbled away like this although he didn't want it to.

The blonde laughed in the darkness and D heard him shuffle closer. Of course, Leon felt it, too. Not good. "Perhaps, yes," the human murmured into his thoughts, and then arms were wrapped around D's waist, pulling him close. He stiffened for a moment. "One should think this thing's warm enough for you not to freeze. Really, D, you're such a girl."

The kami rolled his eyes and relaxed slightly when he noticed the confused note in Leon's voice. Good. Very good. As long as the human was confused about the events, he wouldn't…

"And you are such a manly man, offering your precious body warmth to me," he mocked.

Leon promptly pinched him and sounded much more comfortable when he spoke again. "Be grateful at least, or I'll let you freeze to death, you bitch."

"I am grateful, truly. I haven't yet clawed your eyes out for touching me against my will."

Leon snorted and squeezed him slightly. "Go to sleep, D," he said, sounding warm and tired now. "The sooner the better, 'cause the kids will be up at dawn, promise. 'Specially Dana."

* * *

D was surprised to be woken up by sunlight filtering through the fabric of the tent. He lay for a moment, blinking into it and trying to remember which pet he'd allowed into his tent.

Then it clicked. No pet was warming his back; it was Leon.

Oh, man, to paraphrase the blonde.

D carefully shuffled away, trying not to wake Leon, but he slept like a dead man, oblivious to the loss of his teddy bear. Or whatever he had imagined D was, cuddling him like this.

For a moment he smiled. Considering the alternatives, being Leon's teddy bear wasn't the worst choice. But he still could not allow the human to wake up with him in his arms, since he was beginning to… feel the consequences of a night so close to Leon. Especially in places where he most certainly didn't want to feel them.

So he quickly got out of the tent and took a bath in the river, the cold water having double advantages: it woke him up and his problem was non-existent when he climbed out again. He stretched, relishing in the sunbeams on his body.

"Did you have a good night, Count?" a soft voice asked and he turned around to smile at the great grizzly bear.

"Why, hello, Kate. I thought you would have joined us already yesterday."

She looked at her hands, blushing mildly. "I wasn't sure if I – Dana was so afraid last time she saw me… and your mate…"

D's smile got genuine. "I do not think there will be problems this time, Kate. Leon is prepared for you and Dana quite used to the animals now."

She smiled at that and dared to look up. "So you think she'll play with me again?" she asked, hope in her voice.

D smiled and nodded.

* * *

Well, it wasn't like Leon was exceptionally happy to see the grizzly again, but when one compared their two meetings, the second went quite well. Although he still preferred to take a walk with Chris and Honlon when Dana started playing with Kate. D wavered for a moment, but decided that he would stay with his child. Honlon would take care of the two humans, he was sure of that; anyway, the most dangerous animals in this room were the grizzlies, and they had been forewarned.

So he took the chance to sit and chat with the animals, as well as to relax in the sun. When dark shadows fell over him, however, he looked up in worry. "Tetsu, do you know where they went?" he turned to the totetsu, who had been lying beside him, all fours extended. T-chan blinked one eye and yawned.

"Kanan wanted to show them her favourite cave to see if Leon remembers that one too," he replied lazily, then got up on his elbows. "Huh, but they better hurry… those clouds look rather bad."

"Yes, there's a storm coming up," a beaver at D's side asserted, eyeing the sky, too. "I'm sorry, Count, but I'd rather head home… the lads're afraid of thunder…"

"Of course," D agreed. One by one, the animals trailed away to hide in their respective caves and holes, but there still was no sign of Leon or Chris, or Honlon, for that matter. D collected their things and started packing. He didn't trust the tents to withhold the storm, and he'd rather not have their camping items being spread all through the woods. Even if making Leon look for them afterwards would be quite funny.

Dana came over when he was just gathering their sleeping bags and pressed her head into his legs. "Bàbà, where're Daddy and Chris?" she inquired, sounding very small. "Kate said it's gonna rain soon."

D smiled as he lifted her up and placed her on his hip comfortably while pulling together the last straps. "They are with Honlon, darling, you don't have to worry about them. I'm sure she is going to watch out for them. Perhaps we should find ourselves a nice cave, too, so that we are not out in the rain?"

"I want a cave with Chris," Dana stated. Kate neared, glancing at the darkening clouds in worry.

"Count, you should really get some cover. Those aren't going to keep you safe and dry," she said, indicating the tents. D tried not to be worried. They were here with a dragon; Shuko at least was responsible enough to take the signs seriously.

"I'm sure they are going to be back in a second," he said. The grizzly nodded, although she didn't seem convinced.

"Yes, probably. Still, I should head back home now, too…"

"Do so. Say goodbye to Kate, Dana."

With only Tetsu and Pon-chan left, D sat down on a soft spot of moss, trying to keep Dana occupied so that she didn't notice the wind becoming harsher and the smell of rain and electricity in the air.

However, he couldn't keep it from her any longer when a gust of wind rushed through the clearing, whirling up needles and leaves. Dana squeaked while Tetsu ducked his head and put an arm around Pon-chan. "Count, we really should go someplace safe now!" he warned, sounding quite nervous.

D was seriously worried now. What could've taken them so long? Had they encountered problems? Had anything happened to them? He tried not to imagine all the things that might be keeping them up in the mountains – Leon was an adult, he should think of the children he was with…

Somewhere far off lightning split the sky. For some seconds, deafening silence reigned in the woods. Then thunder growled in the sky, making Dana shriek in fear. The wind came back, tearing at D's clothes and his hair. He bent over Dana to protect her from it and the next moment, rain was seeping through his clothes, cold and hard.

"Count!"

The wind suddenly ceased, as well as the rain. Looking up, D realised that Honlon had landed right behind them, shielding them with her wings. Shuko's head was bent to him while Junrei looked at the sky with fearful eyes and Kanan tried to catch the raindrops. "Leon and Chris are in a cave a few minutes from here. We went farther than we thought and they wouldn't have made it back in time. Did you pack the things?"

D heaved a silent sigh of relief and ignored Pon-chan's pout. "Yes, except the tents. They will have to stay here," he said. Kanan stopped trying to swallow the rain and picked one rucksack up with her teeth, nudging Junrei. The girl-dragon startled and did the same while Shuko lifted them onto her back.

Sitting on the dragon's back in the middle of a storm wasn't too pleasant, but like she had said, the cave wasn't too far off and the ride over soon. D was nevertheless pretty wet when Shuko finally landed on the rim of the plateau and hurried inside, shaking her head.

"Hey, I wanna stay dry!" a voice complained from somewhere below and then Leon appeared in D's view, his face lighting up when he saw his family. "Whew, thank god. That's pretty awful weather out there."

"Who're you telling that," D replied dryly, slipping down and immediately handing Dana over to her father. She started telling him about her latest adventure while Chris came and offered D a jacket he recognised as Leon's. "Are you very wet?" he asked, concerned.

D quickly took the jacket and slipped out of his wet clothes, shivering in the cold air of the cave. "No, not really. Thank you, Chris."

"Brother told me to give it to you," the boy replied, his face earnest. "He said you froze last night, but it wasn't cold at all."

D turned around half to glare at the treacherous blonde, but found – not exactly to his surprise, but to his discomfort – that Leon's eyes were locked on his bare back with a look of fascination and horror on his face. Quickly he slipped into the jacket while at the same time trying to suppress the hunger.

Not good.

"Hey Kanan, gimme that backpack, 'kay?" he heard Leon say to the dragon, who obligingly spat out the rucksack and grinned at the exasperated look that got her. The backpack immediately was handed over to D, although Leon did not quite meet his eyes. "There ya go. Get some real clothes on before you indeed freeze to death, uberkami."

D shook his head, rolling his eyes, but he did as he was told, using Shuko as cover from Leon's eyes, who blinked at him, her look saying more than a thousand words. He returned it defiantly. "Nothing is going to happen," he stated in a whisper, as if assuring himself that he was going to keep this promise to himself.

Shuko only smiled knowingly and turned to settle the debate between Junrei and Pon-chan.

* * *

The storm itself had ceased almost, now that night had come. The rain fell steadily outside the cave they had taken refugee to. D shivered, but he still enjoyed the soft sound the falling water made. He remembered his bedroom and the new design and smiled in affection. Yes, he liked it just as it was now. This was one of the reasons why he had changed it, and he chuckled to himself as he recalled Leon's nickname for it.

There was a rustle of silk and Leon rolled over, once again wrapping his arms around the kami. "You're a real frostbite, D. You gonna be ill or what?"

"No, pregnant," D replied matter-of-factly and let the air he had unwillingly held in stream out in a chuckle at Leon's twitch, easing the tension that had built in him with that. "I am in heat at the moment."

"You're a pure romantic." Leon accompanied his dry remark with yet another pinch. D batted his hand away. "Stop that, Leon. I'm going to be bruised tomorrow."

"As you deserve for being such a bitch. In heat! Just say that you wanna fuck."

D rolled his eyes. "How very eloquent, and so polite!" He caught the human's hand on his thigh. "No, Leon."

"I'm not doing anything!" the human protested and a voice from the back of the cave called. "Daddy, come get me!"

Leon wriggled out of his sleeping bag and fetched Dana. Five minutes later she was tucked safely in Leon's sleeping bag, where she went back to sleep in less than a minute. D was wide awake, and he knew Leon was, too. There was no helping it.

"Are you still cold?" the blonde's voice sounded through the cave.

D sighed. "I will be cold for as long as I can be gotten pregnant. I'm more sensitive to cold at the moment. It's normal, nothing to worry about."

"I thought you don't have an ovulation."

"I don't; I'd need to sleep with you several times to have a seed of life, and then probably some more to become pregnant."

"What the hell?"

"Leon, the baby!"

"Is asleep. Explain."

D sighed again. He truly hated talking about biology with Leon, who was so very blunt in some respects. "Once I told you that several hormones have to work together in order for me getting pregnant. I wasn't only talking about my hormones. Those of my partner are just as important. If they have the right constellation, and if I sleep with my partner, my body produces a seed of life. I was – I did not realise back with Dana that I was in heat and could be impregnated."

"Or get a girl pregnant," Leon added and reached over to touch D's hand. "Man, you're cold as ice." He tugged at the hand. "Come over, there's no point in you freezing to death."

The kami resisted. "Leon, use your brains for once, please! At the moment you are thinking with other parts of your anatomy. It's the hormones talking. Of course you are drawn to me at the moment. Our hormones match. That visit in the club wasn't the best idea ever."

Leon was silent for a moment, then he asked, sounding tired, "D, what triggered this? Shouldn't I be, I dunno, not be attracted to you if you're not my mate anymore?"

D sighed softly, again. "I cannot explain each and everything, Leon. I do understand the basic mechanisms of my body, and Grandfather explained to me during his visit that the biological mate can be different to the one my soul chooses – but I don't always know which rules apply to the current situation. I am neither all-knowing nor very skilled where the mating customs of my species are concerned. Plus, like Grandfather likes to remind me, and did, too, I am partly degenerated. There's no real telling why my body reacts like it does. Not until I have examined it closer."

"D – are you going to die? Because of your weak heart?"

He was surprised for a moment by this question, which came so totally unexpected. But then he understood that the mention of his degeneration had triggered a memory in Leon. His heart warmed at the honest worry in the human's voice, so he turned his hand around and gripped Leon's, squeezing it gently.

"Do not fear for my life, Leon. My heart is stronger than you think, and my father prepared medicine for me before he died. It worked wonders." He still couldn't help the shudder that crossed his frame.

Leon felt it, of course. "You cold, or is it your dad?"

D took a deep breath. "Leon… you once asked about Xiaomei. She was the Shojo – ah, the orang-utan my pets killed. I lied to you. I didn't want to tell you. She never left the shop, she never… she attacked me, I don't understand why, she just attacked and then Tetsu and the others killed her, they wished to protect me-"

He choked on the words. Leon tugged him closer, until D was lying right beside Dana and him. He could feel the body of his child and it calmed him somewhat, but another part of him was still screaming, deep inside, and it had to get out, now. Everything.

"My father had intended her to be my organ donator, and raised her solely for this purpose. He only raised her to kill her to save my life! I did not want that! Leon, I did not want her to die for me!"

"Ssh. I know."

"I drank her blood, every day, for three weeks, and I felt my heart healing, becoming stronger because of her sacrifice, but it hurt so much, and I couldn't do anything! I couldn't do anything, do you understand me? Not anything to save her or to…"

"Ssh, D. I know."

It was a wonder Dana didn't wake while D shivered and retched in the darkness, the human embracing him as good as possible with her in the way. D felt himself choking on tears never cried and almost heaved his food up again, but Leon's hands tightened their hold on him, held him fast and close and secured him right there by his side.

Finally the kami stilled and took a deep breath. "Thank you," he said quietly. "I am… I can explain better if you want me to…"

"It's okay, D. Later. You're cold as ice. You sure you don't want any body warmth, even from someone who's responding to your hormones, pheromones, whatever?"

D hesitated. Leon's hand squeezed his, warm and big. Then he shuffled closer and let Leon wrap one arm around his body. Both chuckled when Dana was again in the way. "I've got a better idea. You can leave that thing for a moment?"

D heard the zipper as he crawled out of his sleeping bag. Leon wrestled around and finally extended a hand to D. "Now get back inside. Careful." The kami hurried to slip inside, he was shivering badly now. The heat in Leon's sleeping bag hit him like a hammer, as well as the pheromones. D choked for a second, but he was too cold and too desperate for comfort to object to Leon joining their sleeping bags.

The human had a good day and guessed his reasons. "D, calm down. Dana's in this sleeping bag, too. No matter how many pheromones you send over, I'm not gonna fuck you anywhere she's near."

D laughed breathlessly. He could feel his body responding to Leon's smell and feel, worse than ever before. And Leon seemed to notice, too, because despite his words he was moving uncomfortably. "Oh shit!" he muttered. "I hope this only works on me; else you'll have to close the shop for male customers until this is over."

D laughed again and turned his back to Leon, cursing the fact that fabric became sticky when wet. Still, he also felt like making jokes about the absurdity of the situation. "I don't know when my heat will be over, but I don't think it is going to affect other human males as strongly as you. My body is adjusted to yours, not theirs."

There was a pretty desperate sound from the human's place. D giggled. "If I was Jill, I'd tell you now that this is adequate punishment for breaking up with me," he voiced and felt the hand seek a place to pinch. Quickly he grabbed it. "What is it with you that you are trying to pinch me all the time?"

"If I was Jill, I'd tell you that this is adequate punishment for making me hard as a rock."

D hid his face in the silk of the sleeping bag and groaned. "Leon, can't you just for once keep your tongue in check?" he pleaded, desperately amused by the whole situation. His breath stopped for a moment when the human murmured something that sounded suspiciously like "Know something else I'd rather do with it now."

"Leon, pull yourself together!" he hissed, but could not help the fire spreading through his body. Determinedly he squeezed his eyes and thighs shut. He would not remember the way it felt when Leon was kneeling between them – no, those thoughts had no place in this cave tonight.

Leon's leg brushed his. D wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

"D, can't you do anything about it?" the human groaned after a moment of breathless silence.

"No," the kami sighed, heart-felt. Because, as bad as it was, it also felt good. His body felt alive and he supposed Leon was feeling the same. Adrenaline really was great at keeping everything else in check. "Do you have any good ideas as to how to live through the night?"

"No," Leon replied with a sigh as deep as D's. "Well, yes, I do know what we could do – only that it's probably a bad idea, and, you know, we'd have to get out of this sleeping bag and all…"

"Sex is not an option," D quickly amended and could feel the dirty grin.

"And why not? Apart from the fact that I might get you pregnant again?"

He stared into the darkness of the cave. "Do you really think that would be a good idea?"

A moment of silence, then Leon sighed. "No, of course not. Just – hell, I won't be able to sleep like this. And I mean it. Touch me once more and I can't be held responsible for what I'll do."

D skidded to the farthest corner of the sleeping bag, bringing as much distance between himself and the human as he could manage under the current circumstances. "Place Dana between us?" he suggested then. Leon did as he was told, then the rustle and movement of the sleeping bag told D the human had also turned his back to him and their child. Absurdity at it's very best.

"So, what now? I still won't be able to sleep."

"You might want to tell me about work," D proposed. "Or about what you did yesterday, or the day before that… you haven't yet told me more about that new acquaintance of yours."

"Who're you talking about?"

"Well, the second witness."

D could feel the tension increasing, but for other reasons this time. "Well, there's not much to tell 'bout her. She's an artist, she loves seagulls, apparently; she's got a friend who's with PETA… can't tell you much else."

"PETA?"

"You of all people should be a real fan of that organisation." Leon chuckled as he heard the snort. "What's the matter, D? You don't like competition?"

"Firstly, there is no human alive or dead who could offer any competition to me where animals are concerned," D lectured, sounding as snobbish as he possibly could manage under the current circumstances. "Secondly, those people are not respecting the animals' true nature any more than those who just want to exploit them. Honestly, calling fish "sea kittens" to make other humans feel friendlier towards them? That's ridiculous!"

Leon laughed out. "I'm gonna tell that Miss Ward next time I hear from her."

"Is she pretty?"

The question came a little surprisingly, and Leon needed a moment to collect himself before he said something. "We-ell, she's not bad-looking… And she _was_ rather interested in me, I think. But maybe that's just due to the fact that I was asking about her favourite pets…"

"How very flattering," D commented dryly. "Perhaps you should meet her again when that case has been cleared up to find out if her interest really was… how do you say that? Oh, right, "purely professional"."

"D, are you trying to play matchmaker? Because, you know, she's a witness. That _is_ a purely professional relation. You don't go and fuck your witnesses." Leon sounded partly amused, partly weary. The kami smiled into the darkness.

"I am aware of that fact, Leon. However, that wouldn't be your first professional relation that turned into a more private one…"

"You know, if I wouldn't start fucking you if I touched you now, I'd give you the worst bruise you ever had in your life," Leon commented, making D laugh and slap out the next tease.

They really didn't sleep that night. They talked until the sun rose, sometimes serious, sometimes squabbling, sometimes being silent.

It was one of the best nights D could remember in his life. By the time the sun rose, the tension ebbed as if it had never been there at all. Leon noticed, too, turned around and looked at D. He returned the gaze, smiling.

Leon smiled back.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks to Nemo for the review :-) and to Angie too, of course. Yeah, I've got a bad conscience for not updating more quickly. I'm sorry -sigh- I promise I'll try to do something about it.


	11. Blowing Up in Our Faces

**Blowing Up In Our Faces**

Leon leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling while he mulled the information around in his head. There was a way. There was always a way to murder someone, closed doors and windows didn't matter, and he knew he could find out how they'd done it, if he just managed to remember that little detail that was out of his reach, just so...

A baby's quiet cry snapped him out, followed by a hushed voice that tried to calm the child. Leon sat up, blinking in surprise, for he had recognised D's voice at once.

Before he could think much, D had rounded the corner of his cubicle, Jamie in his arms and Dana clinging to his skirt, looking confused. Leon sighed and threaded a hand through his hair. "D, I've told you not to bring them here again, haven't I?" he said tiredly.

The kami smiled a very strained smile and nodded. "I know, Leon, please excuse, but this is an emergency. Jamie has been very strange the whole morning, and I wanted to get him to Jill at once. Where is she?"

"Oh crap." Leon let out his breath. "Jill's on a case at the moment, and I doubt she'll be back before shift ends. Doubt she's even gonna make it till then. What's the matter with him?" He looked at the little boy, whose face was wrinkled as if he was in pain, but he was only whimpering quietly, not crying loudly, much to his relief. If the chief heard the baby crying...

"I don't know." D looked confused as well. "At first I thought he was having a bellyache, but that isn't the case. But he is feverish. I'm not much accustomed with human babies and their illnesses."

"Perhaps you should take him to a doctor," Leon suggested and helped Dana climb on his lap absent-mindedly. The girl immediately started playing with his hair. D's eyebrow rose. "To a doctor? And what if he asks me if he is my child?"

The blonde grinned and reached out for the little boy. "Then you tell him that he's your boy, of course. He is, in a way. After all, you're looking for him almost as long as his mum every day. Foster kid, that's good. Tell him he's your foster kid."

D nodded, looking perfectly serene, although Leon knew he was shaking his head inside. "Hey, Jill's not gonna arrive here in time to take him to the doctor herself, even if I call her now. So just take him, okay? Please," he pleaded, knowing that D had thought of asking Leon to go with Jamie instead.

The kami gnawed on his lower lip for a moment, then he sighed and adjusted his hold on Jamie, who had grown a little quieter at hearing the familiar voice of his godfather. "Well, if it is really necessary," he said, unsure.

Leon nodded. "Just go and let the doc have a look at him. I bet it's nothing serious, and, wait, here-" He fished around on Jill's desk and produced something from it. "Take that with you. Just in case they wanna see it."

"And Dana?" D's eyes wandered to their own child. "I do not want to take her to the doctor with us, it's enough if Jamie is ill. She doesn't have to fall sick, too."

Leon knew what that meant. He conceded with a heavy heart and a sinking feeling in his stomach. "You're gonna talk me out of it if the chief's pissed," he murmured just loud enough for D to hear and then placed Dana on his chair. "Okay, get outta here before he sees you. Then he'll know for sure what's up. And come back asap, you hear me?"

"Of course," D agreed easily, and the smirk on his lips told Leon that he'd take his time in some café should Jamie not be seriously ill.

D was such a little bitch sometimes. But Leon couldn't help but like him for that sometimes.

He made sure the chief didn't get to see either Jamie or D and then returned to Dana, who had meanwhile taken an interest in some protocols on his desk. After a quick argument he could convince her that she could paint much better on some white paper and set her to the floor while he himself continued to tax his head. He knew there was a way how they could've killed him, he just knew… but where was the clue hidden this time?

He'd not expected to actually be able to work long without disturbance, and Dana was true to being a small kid. While he was hacking some possibilities into the computer, she suddenly started to whimper, first quietly, but quickly pretty loud. Leon startled and hurried to take her up. "Uah, Dana!" he exclaimed as he got a good hold on her and her wet pants.

The girl took a good look at his disgusted face and sobbed seriously now. Quickly Leon calmed himself; she was two years old, he'd been surprised, but honestly, this was just piss. He'd had worse things on his hands, including his own puke.

Dana wailed loudly and he sighed. "Sweetie, don't cry, it's not terrible. You just wet your pants, no point in crying, now, is there? It happens," he tried to soothe his daughter, but Dana seemed heartbroken. He sighed again and carefully hoisted the girl up to carry her to the bathroom, where he undressed her, cleaned her and, for lack of fresh clothes, put her into a police shirt, which was of course far too big for her. But at least it stopped her tears, for she couldn't help but giggle looking into the mirror.

"I look like Daddy!" she announced proudly, almost falling down when she entangled herself in the hem of the shirt. Leon caught her just in time, grinning broadly. "Yeah, you do. Now everything's alright again, yes? No more crying? You know you don't have to cry because of that."

Dana nodded earnestly, but in truth she was looking at her picture in the mirror, and for a second, Leon found himself wishing that she'd always stay like that – easy tears, but easy to console as well. Petting her hair, he tried to force the thought of her in a few years from his mind; what would she be like then? When life had begun to teach her a few lessons about the world and herself?

He was just leaving the bathroom when the chief came his way and immediately raised his eyebrow at Dana. "What's she doing here again?" he asked gruffly, glaring at Leon. "I told you more'n once that the Count shouldn't bring her to the PD every time he can't find a babysitter."

"Was an emergency, sorry, chief," Leon half lied and was relieved to see the man's face soften.

"Oh, you and the Count, you're going to cost me my last nerves," he sighed and then held out a couple of papers to Leon. Dana reached for them, and he quickly held them up so she couldn't reach them anymore, which caused a protesting "Daddy!"

"No, Dana, not now," Leon said, his attention focused on what was written on the papers. He glanced at the chief. "That's not true, is it?"

The man shrugged and suddenly looked very tired. "I'm afraid it is, Leon. I don't know how you ran into this business, but I doubt the laboratory's wrong… Anyway, I've already talked to HQ. They're gonna send down someone from the FBI. I don't know exactly what's behind this business, but it's big, boy, real big. And we should all be careful." He sent a glance at Dana, who had managed to secure one piece of paper. "Especially you. There was talk about triad business, and I'd hate you to get caught up in nasty business."

He turned around and walked back to his office, leaving Leon staring at his back before he realised that Dana was happily ripping the big piece of paper into tiny little pieces. Cursing, he took it from her, when the chief turned around and sent a last glance at him, somehow melancholic. "And Orcot: as long as that agent's in here, you should really keep the kid somewhere else. Even if it's a cupboard in the kitchen."

* * *

D wasn't too happy when Leon told him about Dana's little accident. "She has got to wear diapers again," he ruled. Leon argued. "C'mon, D, she's a baby! Such things happen. And it's not as if you'd wash her clothes yourself."

"It is stupid, since she cannot yet control her bladder."

"She's learning how to, and she's so proud not to have to wear them all the time," Leon protested. "It's happened one time, for god's sake!"

Education is compromise. D sighed. "She is going to wear one outside the shop," he said. "And inside, she can leave it."

"She's gonna learn it soon," Leon said, smiling at his daughter trustingly. "She's a smart kid. Aren't you, Dana?"

The girl nodded, but didn't reply. It was obvious that she didn't feel all that good, but neither D nor Leon were sure if it was because of her accident or because something else was the matter.

However, the kami's mind was taken off his child by Leon's next words. "Uh, D… the lab sent the results today. It's… well, not good."

He tensed up. Leon continued, more quietly, "Some company placed highly toxic rubbish in that cave, different kinds of chemical substances, to top it off. I didn't understand all that stood in the report, but the chief said it's serious business. He said they'll get an FBI-agent over to work on the case."

D was silent. Leon looked at him and tried to read in his face, but it was no use. The mask was firmly in place, and all he could see were D's hands, which were cramped around the teapot. "Just thought you'd want to know," he ended.

The kami moved again. "Yes. Thank you," he said. "If you would keep me informed…?"

Leon smiled at him. "Yeah, course. I was thinking about calling Adrianne Ward again, you know, the one who reported it first…"

"Is she a sensible witness?"

Leon shrugged. "Not more and not less sensible than most people I get to see. But she cares a lot about those seagulls. Jill said she called a few days ago while I was out and asked if there were any new results. Haven't called her back, but I should do so, I think."

"Mm." D didn't seem too interested in hearing about Adrianne Ward. Leon couldn't hold that against him. "But don't forget that we still have the theatre tickets for _Miss Saigon_."

"Ain't that still a week?"

"One and a half," D reminded him with a mean smirk, and Leon could just guess what was coming now… "Have you decided on your clothes yet?"

"D!"

"Well, you have to think about what you are going to wear soon. Because if you want something special, it will need some time. We are not just going to some store to pick anything up for you."

The blonde stared at him. "And why not? What's the problem with store clothes?"

D sighed, slightly impatient. "That everyone will notice that they are from a store, and if you are going with me, I wouldn't want you to look cheap at my side. Do you understand that at least?"

There was no answer for some time. Then Leon stood and went to his rooms. D stared at the wall for a moment, thinking, then he followed the human, determined to set it right. He hadn't intended to make Leon feel like a kept man – his only intention was that the human wouldn't be made fun of for his choice of clothes.

He found Leon in his kitchen, busy heating some milk. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously, setting aside his aim momentarily. Leon grazed him with a short look.

"Gonna make rice pudding. Need some now," he explained curtly, then hissed as the milk started to boil and quickly took it off the hotplates. "Quick, gimme the rice!"

D complied and then looked around the kitchen in the meantime. He hadn't been in here for some time; after all, this was Leon's refuge, not his. Stepping up to the fridge, he smiled at a picture there. "I haven't seen that one for a long time," he said softly, touching the crinkled paper. Leon looked over to him, balancing pot and rice.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, found it when I unpacked my things. Originally I wanted to give it back to you, you know, but there never was the right moment, and then I forgot, and then I kinda thought it wasn't necessary anymore… But if you still want it, you can have it."

The young kami shook his head and smiled, leaving off the painting. "No, thank you, Leon. I think it's just fine where it is at the moment. Don't you want to put the milk back into the fridge?"

Leon's alarmed face should have warned him that something was up, but D was intent on helping the human, who seemed quite overtaxed with the task of cooking. So he took the milk carton, opened the fridge…

Leon almost thought he'd stopped breathing. Quietly he counted back the seconds, slowly bringing the pot out of possible harm's way. He could just feel…

"Leon, would you care to explain to me why you are keeping rotten meat in your fridge?"

D's voice was icy. No, more than icy, it was a glacier the size of Iceland.

"I, uh, you know, I wanted to clean it out a few days ago, but then it got so busy again and I just kind of thought I could do it later…?" he offered, knowing this was just the kind of lame excuse D was waiting for. Only that he couldn't give any better; he had been too busy to remember his fridge.

"Are you telling me that you prepared Dana's food during the last days with stuff from this fridge?" The glacier was covering Northern Europe now.

"Listen, D, I took care to only use stuff that clearly was still okay!" Leon protested, but stepped back carefully. "It's not like everything in there's ruined, you know. Some of the stuff was even still vacuum-sealed, so how in hell should any bacteria get into it?"

D's right eye twitched. Leon closed his eyes, counted down from five…

"You dared to feed my child rotten food?"

"I didn't, if you just listened to me! It was all still okay!"

"It was all in a fridge with rotten food, so don't tell me it's healthy!"

"She's not yet died of it, so what does it matter?"

"That she's not yet died is a wonder if I look at this! I didn't make this kitchen for you just so you could litter it with all this atrocious food!" D screamed and a cup (one of Leon's this time) hit the wall.

"You aren't allowed to bitch at me for littering it, remember?" the human replied just as loudly and managed to catch another cup before it could crash into the wall, too. "Dammit, D, I don't have an incredibly big stock of cups, so _stop throwing them at the wall_!"

"I would rather throw them at your head, too, but unfortunately, they're too thick and would break your skull, although I am starting to doubt that there's anything in the world harder than that!"

"My kitchen, my rules! And don't you dare send Tetsu in here to clean up!"

"Tetsu! If I asked, your kitchen would without any doubt be able to clean itself! I could probably sell it as one of my pets by now! Several of my pets! Your fridge alone talks to me in fourteen different languages!"

That did it. Leon collapsed against the wall, laughing helplessly. "Oh my god!" he gasped, looking at the enraged D, whose expression now changed to confused. "You ever listen to yourself when you're angry? You should go into comedy, D. You'd be a great comedian."

The red lips quirked before D sat down at the table, smiling openly now. "I would have to make you attend each performance, each I would hardly be able to become so angry."

Leon got up again, still grinning. "Okay, okay. I'll clean the fridge out tomorrow. Promise."

D wasn't exactly surprised when he did it.

* * *

The promised FBI-agent arrived at the precinct the day after their little fight in the kitchen had taken place, and Leon was actually glad that in the evening he had something to let off steam (and cleaning out the fridge was a good way to do that). Because that guy was – not that he'd expected otherwise, seeing his experience with earlier FBI-agents – one of the biggest assholes Leon had ever met. And, as if the simple fact that the case Leon had started to build was handed over to a FBI-agent wasn't bad enough, the guy's name was Devon Carter. Oh, sorry, _Agent_ Devon Carter.

He couldn't quite hide the fact that he blanched slightly when the chief introduced them, and he found out only a moment later that he'd been right to fear. Devon Carter was still holding his hand, but the pressure increased as he spoke. "Detective Orcot? Leon Orcot?"

"Yeah, that's me," Leon muttered, trying not to sound guilty. Carter's eyes were hard as they took him in again.

"I remember your name, Detective Orcot."

"Sorry, can't say the same," Leon lied, not intent on giving himself away right from the start. The chief had already left and he suddenly cursed him for that.

"Perhaps my brother's name means more to you. Kevin Carter."

Slowly the blonde nodded. "Yeah, I remember him. I arrested him last year for assisting the murder of Laura Miller."

"That's right. You know that he is suicidal since he's in prison?"

Leon wanted to groan. Hell, what did Carter expect? That he felt sorry for Kevin Carter? Well, rather for him than for Gavin McGallen, but truth be told, he didn't feel particularly sorry for either of them.

"No, I didn't," he gritted out and finally squeezed back hard, making Carter loosen his grip. "And if you don't mind, there wasn't much else I could do than arrest him."

"That's true," Carter agreed coolly. But Leon still got the feeling that he didn't mean it at all.

Thinking of it while he was scrubbing his fridge, Leon ground his teeth together and decided to call Adrianne Ward the next day. If she wanted a date, well, fine, he'd go on a date with her. But hell if he was going to give this case completely into Devon Carter's hands.

* * *

**A/N:** So, with this chapter, we're now officially on the same level as the blog again ^^ Hope you had fun, and well, you know, writing a review never hurt anyone so far...


	12. Dating Other Women?

**Dating Other Women?**

Despite the fact that he originally had intended the date to be an informal questioning, Leon found that he couldn't bring himself to fully act on that plan. It felt kind of mean, to invite Adrianne just to get ahead of Carter. So, after asking her a few questions about the seagulls, not getting to know anything new, he easily gave in when she switched to the topic that seemed to interest her the most: Leon's child and its mother.

It was truly weird to talk about D as a woman. He wanted to say "he" and "him" and "father" all the time, but he couldn't.

"So you're still living together with the mother of your child, nevertheless you're separated?" Adrianne asked, curious. "Isn't that – I don't know, kind of weird?"

Leon played with his cup, considering what to tell her. "No, actually, it's okay. I mean, her mum and I've been friends for years before we got Dana… she wasn't planned. In fact, we weren't even a couple when she got pregnant. Just friends, and Dana was kind of an accident."

"Oh." Adrianne looked baffled. "You didn't seem to – well, I know other people who had the same problem, and they were completely different with their kid. They were… more likely to blame the baby for being there."

Leon grinned. "Can't blame Dana for being born, can I? If there's someone to blame, it's me and alcohol, and her mum. Not she. Wasn't her decision, after all. And well, her mum didn't want an abortion, and I'm glad that she didn't. I like Dana."

Adrianne chuckled. "You have a weird way of expressing yourself, Detective Orcot. For most people it's natural to like their children."

The blonde shrugged. "Yeah, well. Guess it's my job. You never take that for granted if you've seen too many people who said they liked someone and still slit their throats." Which of course wasn't true. It was D who'd taught Leon that love could never be taken for granted, and the recent experiences in this area showed how right he'd been with that. He couldn't tell Adrianne that either.

"Isn't that very tiring?" she wanted to know. Leon shook his head.

"Most of the time, it's just stupid. You know, people telling lies to save their sorry asses when everything's already crystal clear. That's annoying. It'd be better if they just admitted it."

Adrianne chuckled. "Well, not everyone is as straightforward as you are. But I imagine it's still difficult – you know, seeing the dark side of humans every day. Don't you sometimes feel like you'd rather get rid of all of them?"

Seeing the look on his face, she apologised. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that was a touchy point."

"No, that's okay," Leon hastily amended, trying to push D's image from his mind. Dammit, just when he'd started to finally feel like being on a date. "That's okay. You want some coffee still?"

Adrianne changed the topic, told him about her family and tried her best to cheer him up again, but Leon had lost his enthusiasm. So when she asked if he'd like to take a walk with her, he declined and went home instead.

And wasn't at all surprised that he found D in the parlour, contemplating his teapot.

* * *

The kami slowly looked up at the sound of the opening door. Leon stood in it awkwardly for a moment before he stepped inside and closed it quietly, pulling off his jacket. D lowered his eyes to the teapot and poured a cup, placing it neatly on the saucer in front of him. Leon walked around the sofa and sat down on it. The pot clinked in the silence as D put it down on the table. Another cup of tea was placed in front of Leon.

"How was your date?"

The blonde sighed, leaned back and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. "It was… well, it was a date, I guess."

D made a non-committal sound and sipped his tea. Leon opened his eyes and grinned at him weakly. "Congratulations, Count D, you ruined another perfectly normal guy for the women world forever."

"That was not my intention, I assure you." D smiled, and even he wouldn't have tried to deny that it was wicked somehow.

Leon wisely chose not to answer. Instead he called for his daughter. "Hey, Dana, c'mere."

"What's the matter, Daddy?" she asked, climbing into his lap. Leon tousled her hair.

"You happy, Dana?"

"What's happy, Daddy?"

Leon sighed. "Happy is, when you're… I don't know. It's when you laugh although you don't have a reason to laugh, when you feel like you could fly if you just tried…"

"I can fly," she said proudly. "I can show you." She climbed down from his lap and was on the drawer before they had time to blink, laughing. "See? I can fly!"

Leon smiled at her and opened his arms. Dana was back in them in an instant. "I'm happy," she announced, snuggling into her father's arms. Leon petted her hair and looked at D. The kami's eyes were dark, and the human knew his were, too.

"If you are happy, that's all that matters, Dana," he said with a dry throat.

* * *

If D would've chosen to punish Leon for anything he'd ever done to him, he couldn't have found a much better way than the invitation that arrived the next morning. Reading through it, he smiled. Patrick Jonas, professor for Chinese mythology, was presenting his new book, and to celebrate the occasion, he and his wife Yi would be holding a party at their townhouse. They'd be delighted if Count D and Detective Orcot could spare the time to come.

Underneath Yi Jonas had written something. _"You might want to come, Count. I think you'll come to know some very interesting things."_

How could he resist such an invitation? The question was more, how would he convince Leon to come, too? Because it would be noticed if he turned up without him. It probably wouldn't be unwelcome to some of the guests, but nevertheless…

The groan Leon gave when D told him during lunch spoke volumes. "D, just how many times do I have to tell you that I don't like high society stuff? I don't care for all of that. Go on your own, they'll be happier if I'm not there anyway."

"A little pretence never hurt," D replied, reminding Leon of the words that had accompanied the ring. He was doomed.

"But I don't have to-"

"I have already ordered a suit for you that will be appropriate," the kami cut him off, smiling like an angel.

Sometimes Leon really wished he could beat D up.

* * *

Of course the suit D had picked didn't look bad; in fact, it looked great on Leon, but he still fumbled with it when he reached the parlour where all the pets were waiting. Dana and Honlon were there, too; the dragon would get to babysit tonight, since Lin had declined and Jill was visiting some cousin of hers.

T-chan whistled when he caught sight of Leon. "Wow, Count, you did a real good job with that one," he said, circling Leon and showing off all his teeth. The human regarded him with suspicion; those sharp teeth he knew all-too well.

D looked up from where he had been giving last instructions to Honlon and Pon-chan and smiled. "You look great, Leon," he calmed his friend and then looked at the clock. "However, we should hurry if we do not want to be late."

"Yeah," Leon murmured and took his key, but D's hand stopped him. "We are not going to take your car today, Leon," he said softly. Leon's face was the picture of puzzlement, but it got even worse when D led him up the stairs to where a black limousine was waiting.

"D, what the hell?" he began, but the kami quickly shushed him inside, taking the seat opposite to him, still smiling.

"Call it another introduction to my world, Leon. If I need it, I have this limousine at my disposal. And this way you will be able to drink this evening. Isn't that what you would like to do?"

Leon grumbled and didn't answer. God knew he already needed a drink now.

* * *

Yi Jonas saw them at once and came to greet them, tugging her husband along, who was a kingly figure with a grizzled beard and grey hair and a sparkle in his deep-set brown eyes. D bowed, but Leon shook hands with the professor and his wife. His eyes rested on the younger American with agreement. "I say, when Yi told me he'd finally chosen his mate, I didn't expect you, Detective Orcot. But congratulations, you've found yourself a mystery bigger than any crime. Should keep you busy for the rest of your life," he said, his deep voice easily filling the air.

Leon glanced at D, but to his surprise, the kami was smiling. "Uh, I guess," he answered, made insecure by both the greeting and the surroundings.

Patrick Jonas laughed and gave his shoulder a hearty pat. "I don't intend to tell anyone about your husband's little secret, don't worry, Detective. Chinese gods aren't as rude as for example Irish sprites, but nevertheless, it's never wise to meddle in their affairs."

If he hadn't been stunned already, Leon surely would've frozen by now. Even D never spoke openly about his divineness.

"Please, Professor Jonas," the kami in question murmured, laying a calming hand on Leon's arm. "I think I have once elaborated on the differences between the gods…"

"Yes, and this is neither the time nor the place to start this discussion again," Yi Jonas chimed in, finally succeeding in getting her husband's attention and giving him a reprimanding glance. "Patrick, really. Don't be so rude to our guests." She smiled at them apologetically. "I'm sorry, Count. You know your presence always makes him itchy…"

"There is no need to apologise, I am sure your husband meant no disrespect," D replied swiftly and the man chuckled.

"Well, one never can really stop being a professor. I'm sorry, Count. Yi, dear, I know you want to take him to your friends, so I shall take care of you, Detective Orcot, if you don't mind? I confess that only seeing your husband makes me need a drink."

Leon sent a helpless glance at D, not knowing how to handle this high society, but there was a reassuring glance in D's eyes, so he went with the professor. Much to his relief, the man dropped his educated behaviour the moment they had reached the bar. "What would you like to drink, Orcot? Can I say Orcot? Detective sounds so very formal, and I'm used to people calling me Jonas, too. Whiskey? Yi insists on champagne, but I need my Tullamore."

"Orcot's okay," Leon replied after a moment, trying to get used to that sudden change. Patrick Jonas chuckled at his obvious confusion and gave the waiter a sign, then handed Leon a glass.

"Cheers, Orcot. I'm sorry. My students complain about me, too, and my wife sometimes says she doesn't know who she's married to after all, the professor or the rogue. You're wondering why I'm talking so openly about the Count's powers and being." It was a statement, not a question. Leon nodded and savoured the whiskey. Not bad at all. What had D said? Patrick Jonas was one of the authorities where mythology, especially Chinese mythology was concerned.

Now the man played with his glass and glanced at where D and Yi Jonas were talking to some other Chinese citizens, all of whom seemed overjoyed to see D. No news there.

"I never met anyone who frightened me more than Count D," the professor said suddenly. "I've been reading fairy tales and myths and ancient stories about gods since I could read. I've been a professor for almost twenty years now, but when the Count suddenly turned up in Chinatown and my wife told me about him, all I could think was, please leave this place as soon as possible. I've never met any god or sprite or mythical creature, at least I'm not aware of having met one, but Yi never left a doubt about the fact that your Count is one. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes, Orcot. They demand a lot and barely ever repay us mortals with anything worth the bother. You should keep an eye on your daughter also; most of the time neither family is happy about a half-god."

"Who're you telling that," Leon mumbled, not sure what else to reply. Patrick Jonas was surprisingly open-hearted about D. More than any other human Leon had ever met; more than he himself, even.

The professor smiled at him. "You know, I was surprised when Yi told me the Count let you return to his shop each day, and even more when he agreed to take care of your brother. I wasn't at all surprised you started chasing him, though I wondered you had the willpower to stop. The usual fate would've been dying on this useless quest. But the greatest surprise was that you made him return, and not only return, but bear your child, too. It's a tale worthy to be told."

"I doubt D'd be happy about you writing a book on him," Leon replied dryly, finally winning back some of his self-assurance. This man didn't mean any harm, he was pretty sure of that. He was curious and interested, but also frightened. Leon could understand how Patrick Jonas had to feel. He had someone in reach, a being like those he talked about every day to his students, yet he could not dare to ask too much for fear of revenge. Yes, he really could understand the man.

At the same time, he couldn't help but marvel at the observation net of Chinatown, and wondered for a moment if he'd ever made an unnoticed step around here since the moment he'd first set foot into the pet shop. Probably not.

While Leon was busy talking to Patrick Jonas, his wife had taken D to her friends and one of her sons. They chatted amiably for some time, D enjoying their company. He had missed to be amongst educated, clever people, as much as he loved being in the pet shop.

Then a new cluster of guests arrived, and D stiffened at the feeling of eyes on his back. Turning his head ever so slightly, he saw that the Shao family was amongst them. He could barely hide his surprise. Now just what were they doing here? He had already wondered about Yi Jonas being there in the restaurant that one evening, but the Shao family here…

Yi Jonas chuckled, having caught his slight turn of head, and excused herself. "Oh, Count, I think your husband is waiting for you," she said casually, giving him the clue to excuse himself, too, and go over to where Leon was standing uncomfortably beside Patrick Jonas while the man bowed to Mr. Shao and his wife and daughter. Mrs. Shao's eyes shot blazes at the blonde and D quickly took his "husband" aside so that Yi came to stand beside her husband. He wrinkled his brow at the whiskey, but didn't say anything about it. He had offered Leon to drink, after all. More or less.

"Mr. Jonas is a nice man, isn't he?" he said instead, trying to make Leon relax again. If he kept being this tense, he would soon do something wrong and cause a social disaster.

The human did indeed relax at his voice and the familiar glare at the alcohol. "Yeah, and so far the only one who's said outright that you're not human. Aren't you worried about that?"

"Not really." D smiled mischievously. "After all, he is a professor for mythology. If he should ever say something, everyone would think his fantasy has finally won over and he is imagining things."

"Clever." Leon gave D a weary glance. "You sure know how to get people off your track or into your claws, don't you?"

D only smirked to that and got himself a glass of water, using the opportunity to tug Leon out of sight. There, his face changed to worried. "Are you feeling well, Leon? If not, tell me so. I don't want to torture you with this invitation."

Leon took a deep breath and managed to smile at the kami. "No, I'm okay. 'Twas just the Shaos turning up. Jonas is alright, even if he talks a lot about gods."

D gave his hand a quick squeeze before someone called out for him and he left again, leaving Leon standing behind a plant, watching him. D seemed to be thoroughly happy for the first time in some weeks, amidst a cluster of admirers, and that made Leon feel like this was worth the fuss. He himself had never felt comfortable around high society and that hadn't changed although he'd been D's lover, and D was kind of high society. Only that he was better than high society since he was a – god. But for Leon, D had never been high society since he'd been a criminal, and that didn't count as high society…

Leon stopped thinking about if D was high society or not and instead went to find a waiter with something to drink. Because he could drink today, because he didn't have to drive, because D had a limo…

Again the blonde had to put a firm stop to his thoughts. Determinedly he waved at the next waiter and the young man came over and offered him a new glass with whiskey, following his almost unwilling gaze in D's direction. The kami was surrounded by five people now, two women and three men, and Leon's heart lurched at the sight. They were so elegant, all of them, so different to him…

"You sure are one lucky bastard, and I hope you know that," someone broke into his thoughts. Leon looked at the waiter who was grinning back at him broadly. "I never thought you two'd manage to make up your minds and get together, but as I see, you did. Congratulations, the odds were pretty bad!"

The blonde sputtered. "What the hell? We're not!"

The waiter, whose hair was of a very particular shade of red-gold (made Leon wonder if he'd fucked up dying it), chuckled and set his tray down. "Oh please, I'm not blind, Leon. He's got a ring on his finger and he looks at you like you've got all the answers in the world. Which we both know you don't. So it's gotta be something else. You married him?"

Leon stared at the guy, spooked. His hackles were raised. "Who the fuck are you?" he hissed.

The waiter laughed softly. "Oh, don't get all pissy. We know each other. I'm not one of the Count's pets in the very sense, but close enough to it."

Again Leon stared at him and tried to stop seeing the human form. But apparently he had been in the shop for too long again, the form wouldn't change while the guy's grin widened. "Not gonna work with me, buddy. Told you, I'm not a normal pet."

The blonde growled, but he was stopped by D's arrival. The kami had been keeping an eye on Leon despite his talk, and had noticed that something was wrong.

"Ten-chan!" he exclaimed and rushed forward, obviously having managed to get rid of his fans momentarily. "What a surprise to see you here! Why didn't you pay us a visit?"

The man laughed and bowed deeply. Seeing Leon's confusion, D took his hand and gently helped him change perception. A bright red-brown fox with a lot of tails was sitting in front of him, showing his teeth in a friendly grin. Leon blurted out, "Hey, I _do_ know you! Aren't you the freak pet everybody in this weird family called by another name?"

D squeezed his hand, both praise and reprimand, and let go. But he smiled.

The fox, who had changed back into a young man the moment D let go, bowed again and grinned. "Yeah, Detective, that's me. And I also was that old man who gave you the forget-me-not. With blessings from Shuko and Kanan."

The kami's eyes went wide while Leon could barely hide his chuckle. "You!" he exclaimed, not knowing if he should be angry or pleased. Leon's smile convinced him to at least stay calm and just sigh a bit. Set up by his own charges. What a disgrace.

And he should have known Honlon had had help. Ten-chan was just the right one to come up with such a plan.

His thoughts must've shown on his face, because Ten-chan chuckled. "Actually, Count, I just made sure the catalyst reached its destination. Shuko and Kanan had it all worked out when I visited. Anyway, I wanted to stop by, but I arrived only today and was immediately employed here at this party. I knew you weren't going to leave soon, so I thought tomorrow would be early enough. And I didn't want to disturb you, just in case."

His grin bordered on impudent. D sighed softly and looked at Leon, then back at where his fans were waiting for him. "Ten-chan, Leon and I are no couple. I will explain to you tomorrow when you come to the shop," he forestalled the fox's protest. "Now let's just get back to the party before we draw any more attention. Leon, I think Mr. Jonas wants you to join his group."

Ten-chan quickly grabbed his tray again. "Okay then, c'mon, Leon. Let's get you back to the party," he said adventurously and steered Leon in the direction of Patrick Jonas. D hurried back to his own group, his heart a bit lighter than before. While Ten-chan was up to mischief most of the time, he was sure he could rely on the fox keeping an eye on Leon also.

Others had also watched them, he found out once he reached his former group again, which had been joined by Mrs. Shao and Lin in the meantime. The girl looked every bit as miserable as Leon probably felt, and kept tugging at the hem of her blouse and her chain. But she managed a small smile for him, while her mother greeted him enthusiastically. "Count D! How good of you to come to Yi's party. She was so unsure whether you could spare the time."

Yi Jonas smiled. It seemed completely friendly, but D could see dislike lurking behind her eyes. "Well, the Count is busy with his shop and his child, I wouldn't have held it against him had he declined," she said warmly. "I think we all know how exhausting children can be."

"But little Dana is such an angel, from all that I hear, despite what one would expect," Mrs. Shao chirped, not giving away the opportunity to get something back at Leon. D sighed inwardly. Not this again.

Fortunately the other members of the group managed to steer the talk away from Leon and other topics D didn't want to talk about this evening, but he couldn't fail to notice that they were slowly drifting towards other groups during the conversation until he was alone with an American woman named Lily Parkinson, Lin and Mrs. Shao.

"Lin, would you be so kind and get me a new glass of champagne?" Mrs. Shao asked finally, nudging her daughter. Lin, who had been silent most of the time, startled and nodded automatically. "Ah, yes, of course, Mother. Where is…?"

She looked around, obviously searching the bar and Lily Parkinson, who seemed to be a helpful woman, jumped to her rescue at once. "Oh, dear, it's over there. Let's go there together, my glass is almost empty, too," she smiled and went off with Lin, leaving D and Mrs. Shao alone.

They scrutinised each other for a moment, then Mrs. Shao bowed slightly. "Count D, I am sorry to employ such methods to get to talk to you alone," she said formally. D didn't like the look in her eyes at all. "But I felt I needed to give you some information, and since you seemed quite taken aback by my dislike of your husband, I saw no other chance."

The young kami returned the bow and looked at the woman, his eyes cool and the mask firmly in place. "I assure you I would have listened to you anyway, Shao-san. You have every right to dislike Detective Orcot, as I cannot force you to like him. However, I can ask you to refrain from insulting him and my child, and I would like to make clear that this is still something I insist upon."

She plastered a sweet, false smile on her face. "Of course, Count, I would never dream of acting against your wishes." D kept quiet; it was useless to tell her he knew she had insulted Leon at least once again since his warning.

"However," she continued in a hushed voice, "I would… ask you not to hold it against me if I tell you something now. I assure you, I mean no harm, but I think you should know about it."

D's patience was wearing thin. "What is it that I should know, then?" he asked, wanting to get over with this. She blinked slowly, reminding him of a predator in wait.

"You know that I have family in New York, and while I was there visiting them, I met Detective Orcot. He was strolling through Chinatown with his younger brother and a young woman whom he was very familiar with."

Her eyes sucked D's face in, but the kami remained perfectly calm and cool. "Did you indeed?" he said, voice mildly surprised as if wondering why she should find it necessary to tell him that. Her eyes blazed for a moment with disappointment and anger, but she managed to stay calm.

"Well, I only thought you should know; after all, a second child would mean a lot more work, and you are already so busy with the shop."

Translation: the stupid American's going to get another woman pregnant while cheating on you and probably make you care for his other child, too, in his insolence. D suddenly wished to have taken Tetsu along. Next time he would make sure he was allowed to bring some of his pets.

"I am indeed very busy with the shop, but I do not think that this is your concern, Shao-san," he replied coolly, the warning clear in his voice. Much to his relief, Lin and Lily Parkinson returned just then, and he was able to excuse himself and look for Leon. When he found him at Patrick Jonas's side, quite happily talking with a few other Americans who seemed to be students of the professor, he smiled and set out, looking for Yi Jonas. Now he really had to ask her some questions.

He was lucky and caught their host at the bar, giving orders. The waiters scuttled away at his aura while Yi Jonas smiled at him. "Count. I confess I was wondering when you would come about her."

Stated like that, D could leave aside the niceties. "I do hope you haven't changed your mind about the detective's and my relationship. You are not dumb enough to help Mrs. Shao pursue her insolent plan; yet she is here. Did I not make clear that I will find ways of preventing any harm befalling my family?" he inquired coolly.

"I do not intend to harm either the detective or your child, Count. I will tell you why I am inviting Mrs. Shao." Yi Jonas sounded earnest. She sent a quick glance around. "Not here, please. Let's go over there. In short, when you left Chinatown, she had just started looking for suitable husbands for her daughter Lin. You were at the top of her list, but since you were gone, she had to find others. A friend of mine was approached last year, and she in turn asked me to find out more about the family, since she had heard a lot about them, and nothing of it was good. Understandably, she doesn't want one of her sons to be married to a triad daughter."

D scrutinised her face, but he could see that she was speaking the truth. "But why not cut bonds with her again after you found out what you wanted to know?" he asked. Yi Jonas' face clouded.

"I am worried, Count. The Chinatown you returned to isn't the one you left, and it's partly even due to your disappearance that it changed. We had some rough months following the death of Lao Tao Wei, but then things settled down again. Only the balance is unstable; people are still wondering who you would've chosen and every now and then it gets worse again. The Shao family was one of those who emerged from these quarrels with much more power than they had before, and in the past few months they acquired even more. I don't know why; but I have a family to protect as well, and if I have to put up with Mrs. Shao for it, it is a price I will willingly pay. I do not doubt that she is going to fall again only too soon, but I cannot say when. So it's better to keep an eye on her. I don't doubt that she is up to something really bad, and I want to know before."

D understood what she was telling him. Yi Jonas was on his and Leon's side; she was willing to help them, even, but only so far. If her family should be endangered, she would withdraw.

He realised that he really had to spend more time with the rich and mighty again. First the mayor and his hints… now Yi Jonas… This was indeed something to worry about, if even half American families started to make connections. Or was it only she who was so worried about her family?

She sighed when he posed that question and favoured him with almost a glare. "It's partly your fault, Count, that I am so worried. Thanks to your detective, there are a lot of anti-American feelings in the traditional community here at the moment. My husband and I have worked hard to become part of it despite his origins, and it went quite well. They do not see him as Chinese, of course, but they respect his interest in our culture and feel honoured by his knowledge of Chinese mythology. If Detective Orcot was like him, there wouldn't be problems, I think; but he is, as you very well know, rather unrefined and not at all what one could call politically correct. Even with inviting him to tea back then you slighted some members, but they of course never voiced their protest openly; you are, after all, a god, and we mortals know you have reasons beyond our understanding for acting as you do."

"Only then I returned with his child in my arms," D said after some moments of silence in which she seemed to search for words. Yi Jonas nodded, relieved that he had voiced it.

"It was not wise, Count. With that, you parted Chinatown in half. The traditionalists pretend to keep our ancestor's ways, but they have taken over American insolence. Gods are no more than very mighty humans now, I fear. Thus Lin and Mrs. Shao's attempts to make you marry her. You are a factor of power here, and no one is particularly happy that you chose an American, even if there are people who aren't as opposed to this relationship as others, due to the fact that they like the detective."

"And what is your opinion on this matter?" D asked straight out.

Yi Jonas smiled openly. "My husband used to say I'm as curious as a cat, and he was very amused when I started taking part in gossip to get to know about every development in the pet shop. At first it was curiosity; it doesn't happen often that a god comes down and even fewer times that he takes a liking to a human. I wanted to know if Detective Orcot would manage to find you again. My husband is fascinated by you. I'm just as fascinated by the detective. He is a remarkable man; but surely you know that even better than I do."

"I do indeed," D said and smiled himself, then bowed to her. "I thank you for being honest with me, Mrs. Jonas."

She returned the bow. "It was entirely my pleasure, Count," she replied. "Because, you know, I do actually believe in people making their decisions unhindered by tradition or species."

* * *

Other people obviously didn't share her open-minded opinion. In fact, it seemed as if D's refusal to listen to Mrs. Shao's whispers had kindled their anger, and since they couldn't do anything to D, they chose to get to Leon instead.

It was quite probable that the human at first didn't understand that this event was related to Mrs. Shao, but when he returned to his car with the startled D at his side and saw the kami's eyes blaze with sudden fury, he could just guess who was responsible for this. Anger welled up in him, too.

"Just gimme one damn reason and I'll bust her for this!" he gritted through his teeth. "D, I told you we should stay away from that family as far as possible!"

"I'm afraid that we will have to put up with them as long as we are in Los Angeles," the young kami replied and adjusted Dana on his hip. The girl was silently playing with his hair, still half-asleep. "And before you say anything, Lin-san will still come later and play with Dana. No, Leon," he interrupted the blonde's protest. "She doesn't have anything to do with her mother's actions, even if you could prove it was Mrs. Shao who set this in motion."

They both sensed the rustle of clothes behind them more than they heard it. D's voice changed immediately from cold and furious to furious and determined. "No, Leon, do not argue with me. I will pay the repairs."

Leon blinked, glared at D and wanted to hit him for this pretence. "D, it's my car and I'm gonna do something about this," he hissed, seeing the old Chinese man from the corner of his eye. He in turn was watching the kami-human couple in front of the damaged car with tense interest. Just how stupid did they think Leon was? As if he wouldn't recognise a look-out.

"Leon, I insist." D's voice was sharp now and he gesticulated towards the car. "This has clearly been done by Chinese people, so it is my responsibility to amend what my fellow countrymen destroyed. And I will take care of it, believe me."

The man faded back into the next alley, so Leon decided he could speak his mind. "D, I don't fucking care for what they think!" he ground out. "The car's old, it's not even worth the money. Just gimme one clue and I'll have Mrs. Shao's ass for this. I bet Lin knows what her mum did!"

"And I bet she doesn't know anything of this," D replied, grazing the spy with one last defiant look. "You won't get Mrs. Shao by charging her for the damage of an old car, even if it is the car of an officer. What we have to do now is show them that such actions will only strengthen our relationship." Hearing Leon's angry muttering, he interrupted him once again. "Just do for once what I say, Leon! Believe me when I say that we do not stand a chance like this. This war will not be won on the field of American laws or courts, but only on the field of Chinese diplomacy. If we continue to receive Lin, nobody can accuse us of being unfriendly or prejudiced. Turn their weapons against them instead of feeding them yet more ammunition."

The human rolled his eyes at the use of so many comparisons, righted his jacket and stomped off to the precinct, still growling while D stayed back and regarded the car with thoughtful eyes.

* * *

**A/N: **And one ahead of the blog ^^ Well, okay, I'm gonna upload it there now too... so if you like the lay-out there better, you can read it again over there ;-)


	13. The Man is Back in Town

**The Man is Back in Town**

Jill couldn't suppress the whistle when she saw the car. Hoisting Jamie up on her arms, she shook her head. "Well, I know Leon's not the easiest guy to work with, but even I'd never have thought about doing that," she remarked, taking in the sliced tires, broken windows and numerous dents where someone had used a Baseball bat to "caress" Leon's car. "Are you sure you really wanna have this thing repaired? Mind you, it's not that I don't know how much Leon loves this moving piece of crap, but the repair's gonna cost more'n it's worth, I bet."

D agreed with her, still he shook his head and explained what he had already told Leon this morning again. In contrast to Leon, Jill understood what he meant and sighed while they returned to the pet shop. "This ain't good at all if they're starting to damage Leon's stuff now," she foreboded with a wrinkled brow. "Just how can they dare to cross your ways?" She almost choked on what she had said a second later, and suddenly there was fear to her. "I'm sorry – it's just –"

"Hush, Jill, I know," D replied softly and opened the door for her. "If it is any consolation, I am used to people being afraid of me…"

She set her chin. "But I don't want to be afraid. Leon's not afraid of you either, and I've never been, before. It feels wrong, to be afraid of you. And it's not as if I'd always feel like this – only when I, well, remember what you are…"

He smiled at her, thanking her wordlessly for the effort she was making. Of course, her immediate shock had been far less than Leon's, but he still appreciated her trying.

Then a crash sounded through the shop and D left Jill to hurry to Dana's room and make sure the girl hadn't caused some harm to befall Shao Lin. Because that was exactly what they didn't need now.

Calmed and relieved (it had only been a stack of building bricks falling down), he returned to the parlour a few minutes later to find that Jill had been joined by a young man in the meantime. She looked relieved at his sight, a slight blush on her cheeks. "There he is. D, this young man's been asking for you – he said you still owe him an explanation…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes darted back to the one in question. D had to admit that he truly didn't look like someone he might owe an explanation to – long, gauzy shirt, black top and long, blue trousers over red boots.

Sighing, he apologised. "I'm sorry, Jill, please don't take anything he says personally. Ten-chan is much like Leon – brash, but he seldom means to insult anyone."

The fox laughed and slumped down on a sofa, immediately stretching out his legs so they almost came to lie on the table. "Nice to see you too, Count. Actually, I wasn't insulting anyone this time – I only told Jill that a baby suits her. Last time I saw her, there was no baby anywhere in sight, much less…"

"Well, perhaps you should introduce yourself to Jill first before making such compliments," D quickly cut him off. "Because I think that she cannot remember the last time you saw her." And if, she wouldn't remember Ten-chan as anything else than a nine-tailed fox. D wondered anyway why the fox had chosen to come to the shop in his human disguise, knowing that everyone including Leon could see him in human form anyway.

"My apologies." Ten-chan sat up straight and bowed to Jill formally. "I am Ten, or Ten-chan, if you want, but usually it's only the Count who calls me thus. And now that you don't have to take compliments from a stranger, please let me tell you that you look just as beautiful as I remember you, although I think motherhood may have made you even prettier."

D was so very glad Leon wasn't present. He answered the helpless glance Jill sent him with a smile and a murmur. "If he says so, he means it, Jill, but you may hit him nevertheless if you like."

That made her chuckle and relax again. Jamie in her arms twitched and started to wake up, which she took as a sign to leave.

"Okay then, let's talk about the car later," she suggested, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'll call you, okay?"

"Please Jill, you don't have to leave," D tried to hold her back, but she only winked at him. "No, it's okay. You've gotta hold your promises, so tell him what he wants to know. I'll see if I can find out more about Mrs. Shao."

"You never had someone calling you just for fun in the old days," Ten-chan remarked, stepping up beside him as he waved to Jill and then returned into the shop. D merely glanced at him. "Things have obviously changed again, haven't they? So what did I miss if you take Leon along to a high-society party where everyone talks about him as your husband, whose ring you are wearing, but you and him both say it's not what it looks like?"

D prepared a cup of tea for him in silence; then, sighing, he sat down and started to tell the tale. When he was done, Ten-chan stared at him with wide eyes and seemed to want to say something. But either he thought better of it or D had really rendered him speechless for once (which he thought highly unlikely). In any case, the kitsune closed his mouth and sipped his tea.

"Don't you regret it?" he asked finally, looking at the young kami. D bit his lip and looked down into his cup.

"Regret? No, Ten-chan, I don't rue breaking up with Leon. It wasn't meant to be. He and I, we are just too different," he replied.

Ten-chan snorted. "You know, one could come to think you two fuck up every chance at being happy on purpose," he said. "Difference! How different are you? Why do you always concentrate on your differences instead of looking at what you have in common?"

"Ten-chan, I really do not need you trying to play matchmaker. It's difficult enough as it is, and I am grieving just enough." D's voice was stern. The fox must have heard the pain showing through, because he silenced and looked at the kami with pity.

"Oh dear, and here I was thinking you'd worked it out for once," he sighed, sounding depressed. D smiled, even managed to make it partly mischievous.

"We did, Ten-chan. Your only problem is that we didn't solve our problem the way you would have liked us to."

* * *

The knock at the door broke into Leon's thoughts. "Come in," he called impatiently, looking for his key and murmuring in anger. "Dammit, Dana, just how many times have I told you to keep your hands off my key?"

"Far too many, which is why she doesn't even hear you saying that anymore," D's voice answered from above. Leon heard a clink, then the hand with the long, painted nails dangled his key in front of his eyes. Groaning, he came out from under his desk and took it.

"Thanks. When did they become so long?"

D smiled at his nails in affection. "While we were busy settling in again," he replied, then looked at Leon. "Are you going to go out?"

"I'm going to work in a few minutes, yes. Why do I bother to give you my schedule if you never look at it?" The blonde was impatient, and he wasn't exactly looking forward to nightshift.

D bit his lip. "That's rather unfortunate," he murmured. "I do not want to leave Dana alone…"

"Are you going out?" Leon stopped halfway pulling his jacket on. "D, where're you going at this time? It's almost eight." Then his brow wrinkled. "Not again. Who is it?"

"Nobody you know, I assure you."

"Can't that wait till tomorrow?"

"I have got to go and retrieve the pet," D insisted, shaking his head. "Preferably this evening, before anyone finds the owner."

Leon glared at him. "Which means that he's dead. Just great, D. Who was it?"

The kami smirked. "Customer policy in this shop states that I cannot give addresses away to nosy detectives," he chirped. Leon waited for a second, until D had turned his back to him again, then he grabbed a cushion and landed a hit right in D's back. The kami spun round.

"You unbelievable _baby_!" he snapped, saw Leon grin in satisfaction and sniffed pompously. "Truly, while I deeply admire your mother for being able to put up with you at all, I sometimes ask myself why she didn't teach you better manners."

"Had no time," Leon answered promptly. "She wasn't a high society godlike being with a life-span into the endless. In contrast to you, she had to work for a living."

D's eyes narrowed. "Because I'm not working at all, of course."

"Well, what are you doing? The pets and the shop take care of themselves, you're just sitting in the front room, drinking tea and waiting for your poor victims to pop in." Leon knew as well that this wasn't true, but he felt like fighting. Out of the discomfort D's remark about the customer had caused, because he felt like it and – just because.

"You're trying to pick a fight." Unfortunately D was able to see through him like through glass. "And I'm not going to fight with you today. Very well, then Honlon will have to babysit again."

Leon looked like his teeth were hurting. He remembered very well the chaos he'd found in his room after the party. "One'd think she as the elder'd take better care."

"You expect Kanan to take care?" D's body was shaking with silent amusement. "I knew you were an idealist, but that's exaggerated even for you. Kanan is just the same slob as you."

Leon wanted to argue, but bells jingling in the distance cut him off. Quickly D went to the parlour, closely followed by Leon, who wasn't willing to let the subject drop.

Much to their surprise, it was Shao Lin who was standing in the door, glancing into the shop insecurely. "Count?" she called shyly.

"Yes, Lin-san, I am here. Can I help you?"

Her face lighted up seeing him. "Thank the gods," she sighed and stepped inside. "I'm here because of the car…"

"See, I told you she knew about it!"

D spun round and pierced Leon with a glare. "Leon, I am very sure that Lin-san did not intend to talk to you!" he hissed while the girl stiffened.

The blonde, however, was stubborn and pissed at the reprimand. "If she knows something 'bout my car, she's gotta tell us," he insisted, setting his chin defiantly.

D made short work of him, gripped his wrist and dragged Leon out the door, smiling at Lin in passing. "Please have a seat, Lin-san, I'll be back in a moment."

Once outside, his face changed to angry. "Leon, you are going to ruin everything if you keep being so blunt and fiendish towards Lin!" he hissed. "She is at least _trying _to tell me something, why else should she turn up here now?"

"She can tell me as well, 'twas my car anyway."

"But unfortunately, her sympathies may be on Dana's and my side, but surely not on yours, which is a great deal your own fault," D answered, unimpressed. "Besides, it's chance that she came now. She can babysit Dana while -"

"D!"

"- you go to work and I retrieve the pet," D continued, undisturbed. "No, Leon, no arguments! Just do as I say and trust me, and now go to work before you're late again!"

Assisted by a not-too-gentle push, the human moved up the steps, but halfway he turned. "It's not gonna work, Lin bringing Dana to bed," he foreboded, but D just waved him off, so he continued his way to the precinct grumbling and cursing D once more.

Inside the shop, D at first took a deep breath before he turned to his guest, smiling. "Pray excuse his behaviour, Lin-san. He wasn't very happy to discover the state of his car," he apologised, seeing her brow wrinkle. But she was too well-mannered not to accept the apology, at least on the outside.

"Of course. Who would have been happy at having this happen to him?" she murmured. "What I wanted to say, Count – I _swear _I didn't know what my mother was planning. I only got to know when a friend told me the detective's car had been damaged, and then I heard my mother on the phone, telling one of her friends that she had arranged it."

D smiled reassuringly. "I know that you are innocent, Lin-san. I do not blame you for what your mother does. However, I have a favour to ask of you."

She sat up straight, almost smiling again. "What is it?"

"Unfortunately, I have to go out, but as you know, the detective has to work this evening. Might I ask you to have dinner with Dana and then bring her to bed?"

"Of course I'll do that!" Lin was smiling brightly now and D inwardly rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm.

"Thank you very much, Lin-san," he said instead of voicing his doubts and went to the back to fetch Dana to the front.

Hurrying through the city night of Los Angeles, he dared to hope that Dana might be tired enough today to go to bed like a good little girl without making a fuss. After all, she liked Lin, so maybe she would already be asleep when he came home, and he might be able to sit and enjoy some tea in silence…

This prospect made him quite happy and he collected the pet with a smile that made the animal chuckle the whole way until they arrived back at the shop again.

* * *

However, Dana of course had other plans. D could hear her crying already when he landed on Leon's windowsill again, and he rolled his eyes and hurried to relieve Lin of his nerve-straining daughter.

She _was_ relieved. "I am so sorry, Count! I don't know what I did wrong, she just started crying when I wanted to bring her to bed!"

D looked at his child, half dressed in her sleeping clothes in a corner and screaming for all she was worth. Tetsu and Pon-chan had already left the room, completely pissed.

D did exactly the same. He took Lin's arm and led her out of the room, although her eyes went wide and she half resisted his tug. "There is no point in staying here now, Lin-san," D said calmly. "She will only fight us. Let her scream until she is tired and then we will talk again."

He started placing the various items he had taken along in the parlour while Lin hovered around insecurely and kept sending glances at the door behind which Dana was screaming. But D proved to have the stronger will, or perhaps only the stronger nerves. Finally Dana's cries subsided, and he went back to her room. She was sniffling in her corner and looking at her father with red-rimmed eyes.

"Are you done making a fuss, Dana?" he asked calmly. Dana sniffled again and nodded. The young kami smiled, knelt down, and she ran into his arms. He cuddled her lovingly before standing up and finishing dressing her for bed.

"Daddy must sing," she said, eyelids already dropping.

"Mm," D replied. "Tetsu, would you please be so kind as to fetch the phone?" The mystic beast grinned as he went out to get the required item, but Lin, who had followed D back inside, stared at him.

"This is – I am – who do you want to call?" she sputtered.

"Leon, of course," D answered amiably. "So he can sing for Dana and she can go to sleep." Looking at her face, he smirked. "Lin-san, you don't have to understand. You will, one day, when you will have children of your own, like I do."

"You only have one child," she pointed out, obviously miffed.

D smiled as he carried Dana to her bed and laid her down. "Husbands and boyfriends count as children, too. And in Leon's case, we are talking about a very small child."

Tetsu, who had just returned with the phone, laughed and cracked a joke about that remark, which made Pon-chan and some other pets, who had left their hiding places now that Dana had stopped screaming, giggle and start making jokes, too. Luckily Lin couldn't understand them, and D managed to control his face.

Instead of listening to his pets, he took the phone from Tetsu and dialled in the number of Leon's desk. "LAPD, Detective Orcot, what can I do for you?" the blonde yawned into the receiver. D answered promptly.

"Oh, Detective Orcot, you could sing for me. A nice, sweet song that doesn't contain the words 'fuck, damn, hell, making love' or similar, so I can go to sleep and have sweet dreams."

There was baffled silence at the other end. "Are you kidding me, D?" Leon asked then.

"Should I? No, I'm not. Going to bed with Lin-san is obviously more difficult if none of us is near." D knew his human well enough to play him.

And predictably, he could almost see Leon's wide grin through the phone. "Told you it's not gonna work. Wait a second, just wanna make sure no one's listening."

"I do not understand your problem. You have a nice voice. Only your choice of songs is questionable." D couldn't help the smile on his face when he tucked the covers tighter around Dana, the girl watching him. Then he caught Lin's eyes, wide with surprise, but Leon started talking and distracted him. "Alright, no one's around. Gimme Dana."

Obligingly D handed the phone over to his daughter, who pressed the receiver tight against her ear. "Daddy, sing for me!" she demanded, eyes already falling close, but she determinedly kept them open. Leon complied and D leaned forward to check if the blonde was adhering his rules.

"I love myself, I want you to love me, when I am down, I want you above me, I search myself, I want you to find me, I forget myself, I want you to remind me. I don't want anybody else. When I think about you, I touch myself, I don't want anybody else, oh no, oh no, oh no."

Dana's eyes closed. D took a hold of the receiver to prevent it falling from her ear. Leon meanwhile continued. "You're the one who makes me come running, you're the sun who makes me shine, when you're around I'm always laughing, I wanna make you mine."

The child was asleep. Gently D took the phone and listened to Leon singing the next part before he said something. "I close my eyes and see you before me, think I would die if you were to ignore me, a fool could see just how much I adore you, I get down on my knees, I'd do anything for you."

"Well, at least she is yet too young to understand what 'I want you above me' means. I will not even start talking about the rest, as she is thankfully far too young to understand that. A great choice you made, although the performance was nicely done," he remarked dryly, startling Leon.

"D, you little bitch, can't you tell me in time when she's asleep?" he cursed, sounding pretty embarrassed. "That's not funny!"

"It isn't? Well, personally I think it is," D replied swiftly, eyes twinkling. "And I'm sure I will sleep much better now, too, after you have sung me such a nice song. Goodnight, Leon."

Then he quickly put the receiver down, laughing to himself. Lin was still standing in the doorway, watching him. She didn't look miffed or flustered anymore, just pensive. D once more tucked the covers around Dana, then he stood and switched off the lights, the pets following him into the parlour. "A cup of tea before you leave, Lin-san?"

The girl gathered her little handbag and shook her head, slowly. "No, thank you, Count. It's already late, and I don't want my mother to think… The detective is a very affectionate father."

The smile on D's face was real and even warm when he let her out. "Yes, Lin-san, he is. He truly is."

* * *

Leon was almost ready to leave when Jill came in early the next morning, instantly vanished into the chief's office and returned with a grim face. "Seems like Carter requested us to help him," she told her friend, brow wrinkled. "I wonder why – I mean, all he's done in the past weeks is walk around and look important. I doubt he even worked at all."

The younger chuckled, glad that Jill shared his animosity towards Devon Carter. "Well, did he say why he suddenly needs the local police? Must be bad if he sinks low enough to ask us amateurs."

"Apparently it turned out that some of his traces lead to Chinatown," she replied, sounding very careful. "Leon, I know you're pretty interested in this case, and I also know that you've been trying to get more information, but I really think you should be careful. It's clear that he doesn't like you."

He rolled his eyes, but didn't argue. That much was clear. "And what am I to do then? If he requested our help, that means all of us."

"Not necessarily. He specifically requested people who know more about triad business and Chinatown." Seeing the look on Leon's face, Jill hastily added, "The chief didn't tell him about you. That's why he called me in. I'm to take care that you don't get involved too much. I don't know what he's afraid of, perhaps it's just because Carter obviously doesn't like you."

"Or perhaps because he's afraid that I as part of Chinatown might have shifted my sympathies," Leon replied dryly. Jill glared at him.

"I'm pretty sure that's not it," she hissed. "The chief likes you and trusts you, Leon, so don't accuse him of that. Plus, he doesn't know about -"

"Yeah, alright, so it's just because he doesn't want me to get into trouble with my neighbours," he said quickly, hearing steps nearing their cubicle. "Anyway, I'm still one of two witnesses, and so far he's been making a real effort not to ask me more. He hasn't even asked why I was at that godforsaken beach."

"One day you're gonna get into trouble for always leaving D out of your reports," Jill sighed and turned to her desk. "Well, if he comes, keep a low profile. As for the rest, I made sure I'll be on his team, so don't be surprised if you'll get calls very often until this case is closed."

Leon smiled at her affectionately; then he turned to his computer and wrote Adrianne an email, asking her to meet him at the movies in the evening. It could never hurt to keep in touch with her; besides, today it was D's turn to cook dinner and Leon was fed up with vegetables.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so from now on, I'll update every tuesday and friday. If I don't, you have every right to blackmail me, write me angry pms or leave me sad comments... ;-)


	14. Miss Saigon

**Miss Saigon**

Only that D reminded Leon that they were expected to attend the performance of _Miss _Saigon that same evening. One heated argument on the phone later Leon called Adrianne and rescheduled their date to Sunday evening. Jill laughed herself sick when he continued to rage on about the stupid invitation and the fact that D had once more reminded him to think about his attire.

When he finally returned from work, he paced the front room until D was worried he would wear out the rug. "Sit down already!" he snapped, busy with feeding a little cat.

The human glared at him, but did as he was told. "Why're you feeding her? Wasn't there something about not messing around with nature's rules?" he asked defiantly, wanting to pick a fight.

D didn't rise to the bait. "If we are in nature, there are rules, of course, but since we are in a pet shop and she is part of my merchandise, there are other rules that apply here," he replied and smiled down on the kitten. Her blue eyes were barely open. "Her mother has six other kittens and not enough milk for them."

Leon only snorted. D finished feeding the kitten and carried it back to the mother, who looked pretty exhausted. "There are too many of them!" she complained and the kami patted her head in sympathy.

"I know, Viera. But be calm, it will soon be over, you know that."

"Yes, I guess so," she replied and then turned her attention on her children again. D smiled and went back to the front room. Leon was still sitting on the sofa, gazing into space. D set out to prepare tea.

"So, where's Dana?"

"With Honlon, and I told them to keep out of your rooms."

"Huh." Leon stared at the ceiling. "How good exactly must I look in that theatre?" he finally asked, conceding defeat.

D smiled. "The best you can, of course. After all, you are going with me."

"No way I'm wearing a tux."

"You don't have to. But at least not a Judas-Priest-T-shirt."

"That'd be much more comfortable."

"That'd look much more out of place than anything else you possess. Especially if you are talking about that terrible, old shirt into which even you could fit twice because it's so worn out."

"What's that play, anyway? If it's some fluffy teenager shit, I'm not going."

D let out an impatient sigh. "No, it is _Miss Saigon_, and the critics were very good. So would you please stop fussing around now? It isn't even theatre in the usual sense, it is a musical."

"That's even worse!" Leon protested, making a face again. "Musicals are bullshit! No guy in his right mind'd stand there and sing stupid love songs."

"Well, you don't have to come," the kami snapped. "As I already told you, I can also take Shao Lin, or Jill, if she wants to, and you can stay here and take care of Dana."

"Dana's been looking forward to spending the night at Jill's for days," the blonde grumped. "And you're not going with the Shao brat."

D rolled his eyes. "And why not? After all, you have a date with that woman, too."

"And whaddya think Chinatown'd say if you took her instead of me?" Leon asked slyly and D glared at him.

"As if they wouldn't notice sooner or later that you have got a new girlfriend, too," he retorted icily.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"Whatever. You've still got two hours to decide." D had grown tired of the fight. It was no use telling Leon that the masquerade wouldn't hold forever. Someday or the other, the human would find a new woman with whom he would fall in love, and then he would naturally wish to live with her rather than D. Because there was no way in hell he would take Leon's girlfriend into the shop, too. "Now go to the back, I want to open the shop. And call me if you should change your mind about your clothes."

Leon groused angrily, but he did as he was told and instead busied himself with some further research about the Poison Cave case while D conducted the shop's business. He knew anyway that the kami was going to win in the end. Because Leon only owned the good clothes D had picked out for him.

But the kami let him at least keep some dignity by bringing Dana over to Jill's while Leon showered, shaved and got dressed, pitying himself the whole time and already starting to collect excuses why he'd leave in the break.

* * *

He forgot about those halfway through the first act. He'd told D that musicals were girl-shit; but what he was seeing on the stage made him feel sick and angry like hell in turns. He supposed that D hadn't expected the play to be so nerve-straining either; at least, the kami had been in a good mood when they arrived at the theatre and had chatted with his acquaintances quite happily.

But now D was sitting beside him like a statue, and Leon could feel nothing of the good mood that had surrounded him earlier anymore. He almost wished D would start to tease him with the tux he was wearing, just so he'd lighten up again.

But D wasn't even willing to face his high society friends during the break and instead stayed in his seat, staring at the ceiling and fanning himself while Leon tried to make himself invisible beside him.

It didn't get any better during the second act. At some point Leon was ready to jump up and drag D out of here, just to spare himself the consequences; but he couldn't. They both sat in silence and watched the young Vietnamese mother finding out that her lover had married an American girl despite his promises to her; watched the confrontation of the two women and finally, the suicide of the Vietnamese girl for her child's sake.

Then the curtain fell. D's hand was cramped around the railing of the balcony, to where it had wandered during the last song. His eyes were riveted to the stage. Leon watched him in worry, saw that the kami failed to give the company the deserved applause.

He still hadn't moved when the lights went on and people started leaving, many of the women drying tears with their handkerchiefs. Shyly Leon reached for the young god, laid his own hand over his and gently loosened it from the railing. D turned his face to him so that he got a good look at the mask he was wearing again.

"D, what's the matter?" he asked quietly. "You know it's just a play, don't you?"

The kami's lips opened for a bitter laugh. "Yes, of course I know that. Human illusions are only good for human eyes." He briskly stood, wrapping his scarf around his shoulders. "Let's go. And try to behave on the way out, I don't want my reputation being ruined now that everything has gone well so far."

Leon resisted the impatient tug at his arm. "Cool down, okay? I'm not that unable to behave in society."

"No, but you'll still manage to cause a disgrace," D hissed. The human stared at him. "What the fuck's that supposed to mean? Hello, could you come down from your trip now? Okay, it was a bad story, but that doesn't entitle you to get at me for it."

"On the contrary, it was a good story," D replied hotly. "Very good, in fact. To think that…"

He stormed out of their little compartment before he had finished his sentence, and Leon followed him after a second of standing there dumbfounded, his hackles raised. "Now wait just a minute. Whaddya mean? It was a good story, to think of what?"

"Nothing. Behave."

They crossed the big lobby in silence, managing to avoid being held up by some acquaintances of D. Once outside, the blonde continued to torture the kami.

"No, it's not nothing. You don't get like this because of nothing, so just spit it out. Is it because that guy was such an asshole? Are you again angry at the Americans for being so stupid during Vietnam, or what?"

"Oh, that's a surprise! I'd have expected you to be all patriotic."

"D." Leon grabbed the kami's arm and stopped him, turning him around so he faced him. "Listen, we said we'd tell each other if we're angry for some reason, or if we can't deal with anything."

D batted his hand away and continued to stride to the pet shop with long, angry steps. "I am perfectly able to deal with everything," he all but hissed.

"Tell that someone else, I'm not gonna buy it," Leon replied, his worry and shock at the story changing into anger. D could be such a bitch sometimes, it was unbelievable. "So it's not the war, it's the story, right? Because that Chris guy reminded you of me?"

The tension in D's shoulders told him he'd hit the bullseye. "Are you telling me you think I'd have acted like that idiot?"

"You are human," D replied, his teeth clenched. "It was a completely human reaction he showed when he chose to stay with his wife instead of marrying the stranger he barely knew and had only spent a few days with, in spite of the fact that she had borne his child."

Leon had the good grace to wait until they were inside the shop before he started to scream. "You're such a bitch, D! If you're not happy about Adrianne, fine, then tell me, but don't fuck around like this now!"

"I'm not "fucking around" about Miss Ward, I would not dream of it!" D replied hotly. "I do not care who you bed, I just noticed once again what a cowardly creature the human is."

"That cowardly creature would've given up his job and life to stay with you and Dana in Japan!"

"Would you now? To me it sounded like you didn't want to do exactly that, and that you insisted on me moving back to America."

"But if you wouldn't have done that, I'd have given up my job sooner or later to come to Japan."

"It's always easy to say afterwards what one would have done; doing it is a whole different kettle of fish." D slammed his little purse down on a cabinet and nearly choked himself when he ripped off his scarf with a wild motion. "To think how stupid that girl was, giving up everything for that man that barely deserves to be called such! A man should keep his promises, even if there might go years before he will be able to fulfil them!"

"You're just pissed that you nearly did the same," Leon provoked, the frightening memory of the way D had paced in that hotel room surfacing again. He knew why D was so upset, why he had such problems to deal with the play, but he in turn wasn't able to deal with D's fury and regret.

He only realised what had happened when the pain began to spread through his cheek. Hesitantly he touched it, felt the blood running down. The skin had been ripped by D's nails, and for a second Leon was glad that he still kept them shorter than in the old days; otherwise he would probably need stitches.

D stared at him, his eyes slightly wide, but the anger seemed to have ceased at least for now, and now it was hurt that showed on his face, the familiar sadness. Leon collected some liquid in his mouth and gulped it down.

"Okay, now that we've talked about it, would you mind giving me a handkerchief or something? You know, I only have this good suit, and blood's pretty difficult to get out," he said. D blinked twice, then he turned away, producing a clean white silken handkerchief out of his pocket. "Here," he murmured.

"Thanks." Leon carefully dried the blood. Pon-chan hopped onto the back of the sofa and he leaned towards her so she could do the rest. Tetsu watched them, shaking his head.

"That was great, guys," he said dryly. "'Specially since Shao Lin is standing in front of the door, listening to everything going on in here. Well done."

D and Leon both stared at him; then the kami moved towards the door. "I'll take care of it," he said, voice tolerating no opposition. Leon considered holding him back for a second, but he was pretty sure D only wanted to make her forget; and if not, he didn't want to know.

The door opened with a creak and he could see the girl jerking back in fear for a moment. Then Chinese floated through the air, D's voice commanding, Lin's soft and embarrassed, as was to be expected since she had just witnessed a private quarrel. Some more words from D. Lin's voice changed, became normal and careless. Then Leon could see her turn away, a smile on her lips.

The door closed and the key was turned in the lock. D looked at Leon. "Is it bad?" he asked, his voice dampened. The blonde shook his head and managed a crooked smile. "Nope. Will look like one of your freak cats scratched me, but it's not bad."

D nodded, his gaze wandering from him to an incense pot. Leon could see that his mind wasn't here right now, and he quickly got up. "I'll be in bed. Good night."

The kami's reply was faint and a little surprised, as if he had barely noticed that Leon was in the room still.

* * *

Leon needed to take a few deep breaths to steady himself before he stepped into the parlour Sunday evening, dressed up in some good clothes. D glanced at him briefly, but didn't let himself be disturbed in reading yet another Chinese book to Dana. The girl was listening patiently to her father, although Leon could see that she wasn't fully convinced that what they were doing was fun.

"D?" he spoke up, his voice unusually hesitant and soft, so he cleared his throat. There was no reason to be afraid, and neither to be ashamed. They had talked about this before; D shouldn't dare start making problems now.

It didn't change the fact that Leon still felt guilty, but he managed to suppress that feeling. Guilt in combination with D, he had learnt, was seldom a good match.

"Yes, Leon, I know. You should hurry if you want to be in time," the kami finally deigned to take notice of him, immediately taking his chance at pushing yet another of his faults into his face. Leon gritted his teeth and ignored it. D had to hurt, probably much more so than Leon, and he was trying to adhere that; but did he have to be such a bitch?

"I'll probably not be home for bedtime stories. Night, Dana." He walked over and kissed his girl, who wrapped her small arms around his throat and squealed when he took her up and flung her around a few times. "Where are you going, Daddy?"

"I'm meeting a friend, sweetie," Leon answered, and he actually had a worse bad conscience for lying to Dana than for doing this to D. "And no, you can't come along. You've gotta go to bed in half an hour, and I'll be out longer. Sleep well."

"Will you come back tonight?" Dana's voice was earnest suddenly, and her blue eyes wide and a little bit scared. Leon smiled at her and touched their noses together. "Promise, baby."

"Dana, let him go now, else he will be late," D interjected and Leon sat his daughter back onto the sofa so D could continue with his Chinese lessons. As long as Dana was okay with it, he saw no reason to have a bad conscience because of D's feelings.

He of course had it nevertheless; but by the time he had picked Adrianne up and they were sitting in a diner, talking to each other, he had managed to push it aside and was having quite a lot of fun. Adrianne was intelligent, interesting and open-minded, and she seemed to feel when she was getting too close to something Leon was not willing to tell, and withdrew quickly again then.

"I really admire you for that," she said, and forestalled Leon's protest. "No, I do; there aren't many young fathers like you, much less fathers who're broken up with the mother of their child, but still live together for the child's sake."

"Well, in some cases that's better for the child," Leon argued. "If the parents fought…"

She cast him an amused glance. "You, Detective Orcot, are trying to tell me you've not got some temper? Excuse me laughing."

Leon gave in, smiling lopsidedly. "She's used to it, more or less," he said, looked at the clock and thought for a moment that now D would be sitting next to Dana's bed, singing her a song in Chinese. One that didn't contain the words "fuck, damn, hell, shit" or others of D's favourites.

"Say, you're not by any chance interested in going to a club?" Adrianne asked, playing with her spoon and glancing up at him. Did Leon know where this was going? Of course.

He still said yes.

* * *

D was still sitting in the parlour when Leon came home, a cup of tea in his hands, looking like he was warming himself on it. He looked up at the sound of the door and smiled at the entering human, a little pained.

"I apologise," he mumbled, the words obviously taking a lot of effort. "I didn't mean to be so – childish."

Leon stopped and placed his hands on the back of the sofa. "You weren't being childish, you were just being-" he hesitated. "You, I think. You were just being you."

D raised an elegant eyebrow. "And I am such a beast that hitting you doesn't even deserve an apology?" He tried to look amused, but there was regret in his eyes. Leon walked around the sofa and sat down on it, looking at the kami.

"No," he said slowly. "No, you're not a beast at all, but you're just – yourself, too. You can only push yourself so far, and this play was too far. I'm sorry I pushed you, too. I just thought, well, perhaps you'd feel better if you let some steam off…"

"I did," D replied softly. "But I wish you would have done it in a way that wouldn't have made me hurt you."

Leon smiled crookedly. "Don't know no other way, D. Either you hurt me or you hurt your teacups, and in the end, it's all my fault again. Trust me, it's better this way." He touched the fresh scars on his cheek. "And I got a lot of attention for those. Women like guys with scars. They're a sign that we're tough."

That made a smile flicker over D's face, and he leaned down to produce an ancient-looking box from under his chair. "Let me at least have a look at them," he murmured, glancing at Leon insecurely for a moment. Obligingly Leon turned to the side. When the kami applied a stinging, smelly liquid, he hissed.

"Don't move. It will help them to heal faster and prevent infections. We cannot have you dying of sepsis because tomorrow you have to hide in a dumpster while you are hunting a criminal."

D accompanied this remark with a light slap and the tone of his voice was lighter already. Happier, as if seeing to Leon's wounds made him okay with what he had done. "Like hell I'm gonna crawl into a dumpster," the blonde muttered and hissed again. "D! This smells like-" another slap hit his arm and he didn't speak the word he'd thought of, but continued nevertheless. "No girl will wanna go out with me if I smell like this!" he complained.

The kami finally let go of him. Leon felt the plaster he had applied on the cheek when he spoke. It wasn't irritating; in fact, it cooled the scratches, which had been itching quite a bit today. D stepped back, half a smile on his face. "Well, if you are worried about the smell, it should wear off until tomorrow," he said smugly. "And if not, you just will have to deal with it. Do you care about a cup of tea?"

Leon muttered under his breath, then he smiled at D. "Yeah. And take chamomile. Just in case."

He could swear he heard him chuckling softly as he turned to the teacart.

* * *

After that evening, two weeks of relative silence went. Dana and Jamie grew. Jill was busy helping Carter, Leon was busy helping her and D occasionally came up with new points which they told no one about, but kept in mind. Leon and D had a few minor fights about some nonsense, which ended with both laughing at their silliness.

Leon also continued to date Adrianne Ward and told D afterwards about his dates. He always returned for the night, sometimes very late, but he always came back. The first shock at the memories the play had stirred up ceased; the sorrow that had haunted D again for a few days disappeared and he started feeling more at ease in Leon's reach again. He knew the human felt the same, which made him happier than he could tell.

But he wasn't too surprised that the peace didn't last long. After all, they didn't live in a world isolated from everything else. They both dealt with other people every day, were in public view, and since none but them knew about their newly defined relationship, it was not surprising that someone got suspicious.

In this case, it was Shao Lin. It was to be expected; D was in truth rather surprised that she hadn't shown any sign of suspicion earlier. After all, she was in the shop three days a week, for an extended period of time, even if she always spent it in the front or Dana's room.

Today, however, she seemed more jumpy than ever, even nervous. He let her steam in it for a while, but then he asked her after having poured her a cup of tea. "Lin-san, are you alright? You are looking at me strangely today. Are you considering your mother's expectations?"

Lin blushed, glanced at him shyly and then quickly looked away again. "No, of course not. I – I was only asking myself if you and Detective Orcot – well, if you are happy?" Her voice got very high and embarrassed. "I know it's not my business, but I couldn't help but wonder…"

D sat down and sipped his tea. "Do you have a certain reason to assume we might not be happy, Lin-san?"

She took a deep breath, her heart into her hands and blurted out her discovery. "I saw Detective Orcot yesterday in a bar, kissing another woman."

"Her name is Adrianne Ward."

"You _know_?"

"The detective and I talk, Lin-san. Yes, he told me about her."

Lin stared at him, then she blushed a deep red. "Oh, I am – I apologise, Count D. I didn't want to meddle with your affairs."

D smiled and placed his cup on the saucer. Dana came over and he helped her climb onto his lap. "That is rather advisable, since I do not like it very much. I would ask you to keep this to yourself, too." It wasn't a question, it was an order, and they both knew it.

"Of course," she murmured and stood up, trying a weak smile. "I will… come tomorrow at ten again."

"Do so," D conceded and hid his smile behind the book Dana was shoving into his face. Now she had something she could wrap her mind around, and perhaps it would teach her not to be too curious again.

Ten-chan looked up once she had left the parlour. "You know, that wasn't nice," he voiced.

D shrugged. "I didn't intend to be nice, Ten-chan. I wanted to make clear that my affairs are none of her business."

"Who was the one telling Leon that slighting someone from the Shao family wasn't the best idea ever?"

D sighed, then he admitted something that had bothered him since _Miss Saigon_. "She was the only choice where a babysitter was concerned, and I do not regret that; but don't you think that she has been growing too – close to us?"

Ten-chan shrugged. "Well, I don't know, Count, I haven't been here for so long."

"But I have, and I definitely think she's starting to see the shop as shelter from her mother," Tetsu cut in and looked up, too. "I mean, why else was she here that evening? She didn't want to eavesdrop, I think she didn't even notice you and Leon were fighting when she came down and only realised when she was already standing in front of the door."

D pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I do not need another human in this shop," he said decidedly, his gaze wandering to the new curtain. "Leon is already living here, Jamie spends half the day here and Jill is here whenever she can spare the time, too."

"Yeah, considering the fact that you're supposed to hate humans, you sure managed to acquire a considerable collection," Ten-chan agreed, grinning. "But if she's really bothering you so much, I can play babysitter, if you want me to."

The young kami's gaze spoke volumes and made Ten-chan laugh. "Oh, c'mon, I'm not worse than Leon, Count. Plus, I'm at the moment the only pet in here using a human disguise." He winked at his best friend. "Least in case Tetsu doesn't go out and gets himself a new one."

"You're a shapeshifter, Ten-chan," D corrected softly, but his face was telling that he already was half convinced. "And if I throw out Lin now again, it might well be that problems will start anew, and until now, the Shaos have kept quiet…"

"You don't have to throw her out again, Count," Ten-chan said, his eyes twinkling. "Just, you know, turn down the frequency with which she's here. Tell her that Jill's got more time now to look after Jamie, or that you decided to spend more time with the children – whatever you want, but something that allows you to only have her here once or twice a week. And if you're lucky, she'll understand the clue. She's not dumb. Maybe she'll stop visiting you of her own accord then."

D sighed; but nevertheless, something told him that it would be wise to keep some distance to anyone named Shao at the moment. He would just have to bite down on the sour apple and concentrate more on the children again. He highly doubted that Lin would get the hint, but he still resolved to have a try. Because, as it was, Lin's presence made him uncomfortable in a way. Especially now that she was taking more interest than she should in his affairs again.

* * *

**A/N: **I don't know who's more surprised that I managed to update today, you or me. My god, I've been such a slouch -sighs- Oh, and for everyone who'd like to read some more about D's and Dana's time without Leon in Japan, you might wanna check on my blog...


	15. War It Is, Then!

**War It Is, Then!**

The ring that sounded through the shop wasn't D's telephone. He still startled, recognising Leon's ringtone, and went from the kitchen to have a look at where the blonde was occupying the sofa, fast asleep. Not even his phone ringing could wake him up, so D took pity on it.

"Leon Orcot's cellphone, Count D speaking, how may I help you?" he asked politely and immediately recognised Jill's voice. It was quiet and suppressed.

"Hi D, listen, wherever Leon is and whatever he's doing, I don't care, send him over. We need him."

"But he just came home a few hours ago," D protested, once more resisting the fact that Leon was an officer and never really stopped being on duty.

"And I need you to look after Jamie. Not only for today, maybe for tonight, too," Jill continued, ignoring his protest. Well, they both knew that however angry D might at times be at Leon's job, he wouldn't think of taking that away from him. Not anymore.

With a sigh, he gave in. "Bring him over, Jill," he replied. "Originally Chris was coming this weekend, Leon wanted to pick him up in two hours…"

"I'm afraid Leon's not gonna have much time this weekend. Carter's been busier than we all thought, it seems."

The name was enough to send a shock through D. "You haven't -"

"We're not yet sure, but the guy who's just here for questioning's gonna need only some more pressure and then we'll have them." Jill's voice was a strange mixture of tiredness and tension.

"I'll wake him and come pick Jamie up."

* * *

Chris's eyes went wide when he saw the Count instead of his brother waiting for him in the arrival hall. Then his eyes went even wider. "Ten-chan!" he exclaimed and rushed to greet the fox, who smiled at the boy with affection.

"Why hello there, younger image of Leon. Good that you're coming, 'cause he's left the shop not to be back for two days at least, if one trusts Jill."

The boy's face fell. "What? Why?"

D sent a reprimanding glance over to the fox, fastened his hold on Dana's hand and turned to walk to his limousine outside. Jamie on his arm was wriggling and trying to see the other people; he seemed to find this interesting.

"Leon has been called to a very important case, Chris," he explained to the child. "It is a long and complicated story, but they need his help at the precinct now. I'm afraid you will have to stay with Dana, Jamie and me for the weekend."

"With Jamie, too?" Chris hopped alongside D and he smiled at the boy, then inwardly rolled his eyes at the look an elder woman was giving them. The cuteness humans always attributed to children, it was unbelievable. And besides, it was so obvious that neither Jamie nor Chris were D's children. They looked nothing like him.

"Yes, Jill is busy with the case, too. I'm sorry, Chris, I knew you were looking forward to seeing Leon… maybe he can drop by the shop for a few hours, but I'm afraid he will be at the precinct for the whole weekend," he replied and sighed when they reached the limousine. "Dana, will you get into your seat yourself, please? I have to seat Jamie."

He truly wondered at himself for a moment then. The words came out so casually, so I-already-know-what-I-have-to-say that he felt like a mother more than ever before in his life. Children. Had they turned the lives of his ancestors around in the old times like they did his now, too? Or was it just again him?

He smiled when Ten-chan fastened Dana in her seat and Chris clambered into his without help, then got in himself, noticing that a limousine wasn't quite a family car. That couldn't be helped. Leon's was still being repaired and the blonde wasn't here to drive it anyway.

Thinking of him… D's brow wrinkled and he hid a soft sigh from the children. He only hoped Leon would be careful. He wouldn't redeem what those humans had done by getting himself killed.

* * *

"So he came in one day, waved a few dollar notes in front of your face and you just gave in?" Leon glared at the young officer opposite to him. "You're a bastard, you know that?"

"Well, what would you've done?" the man snapped back, his almond-shaped eyes narrowing in anger. Jill placed a soothing hand on Leon's arm, feeling the blonde's fury. "And it wasn't as if I'd had a choice! He's one of the great ones around here. I cannot not do what he asks of me. I've got a family, you know."

"Jill, have I ever told you how much I hate the traditional community of Chinatown?" Leon gritted through his teeth and tried to kill the man with looks. "You're in America, idiot! There're other rules here and one states that if you're an officer, you're for the right guys and not the triad!"

"I didn't know the triad was involved in this!" Officer Lee defended himself. "He just said that he needed to place some things in that cave and that if anyone took notice of them, I should call him and then get him some time to pick them up. I didn't know it was toxic, I've already said that one thousand times!"

Leon growled and stormed out of the room, evading Alex Donovan just barely as he came out. The younger detective smirked at him, an evil shimmer in his eyes. "Oh, the great environmental friend's upset because of a few toxin cans?" he cooed and Leon was hard tempted to hit him.

Instead he gritted his teeth. "Any news from Carter and the squad out there?" he asked curtly. Alex shook his head, narrowing his eyes, too, obviously looking for a new provocative line.

To Leon's great relied, the door to the chief's office was slammed open. "Take your stuff, all of you!" he bellowed. "We're off to get a few bad guys in!"

"And what's with him?" Jill asked into the common commotion that followed. The chief grazed Officer Lee with a defiant look. "You can stay here with him and try to teach him some lessons about the American police," he answered, then guided them all out.

"Be careful, Leon!" Jill called after him, probably having seen the look in his eyes. He smiled grimly as he got into the car beside Eliza. As if he'd get himself killed. No, he wanted to be present when whoever'd had this great idea of disposing the toxin there would stand in front of a court.

"This is really bad," Eliza remarked as the line of police cars went into Chinatown, her brow wrinkled in worry. "I mean, what's with Chinatown? We never go in there."

The lump in Leon's stomach that had been there since Jill called grew. He had a good hunch that he knew why they were going to Chinatown. And if they were just a bit lucky, it would be the Shao family they'd be visiting.

* * *

Fourteen hours later he let his head sink onto his desk, finally giving in to the heavy feeling for a moment. The chief looked at him from where he was flipping through papers on Jill's desk. "Already tired, Orcot?" he smiled, although his face was strained, too. "I thought you'd be trained to stay awake day and night now that you've got the Count and the kid."

"Dana never lies to me," Leon murmured, closing his eyes. "Neither does D start screaming like this terrible woman."

The chief nodded in understanding and pity. "Mrs. Shao's pretty nerve-straining, that's true," he agreed. "But at least Carter's taking care of her." He snorted. "Mind, only because she'd be one of the big fish; nevertheless I'm glad I don't have to deal with her."

"Is there any chance she'll end up in prison?"

The elder man chuckled at the hope obvious in Leon's voice, but quickly became earnest again. "I'm afraid not, Leon. She claims she knew nothing of what her husband's inferior did, and you know those Chinese people. He's not going to spill the beans, it's one of those true-to-your-masters things."

"Ya," Leon muttered, rubbing his eyes.

"You'd really like to be rid of her."

"She's a bitch and her daughter, who hates me by the way, babysits Dana, because D says he needs time for the shop. Oh, and she had my car ruined. The mother, not the daughter, but I think she liked the idea, too."

"You really have a way of getting on the sunny side of everybody, Leon."

"Look, it's not my fault, okay?" Leon opened his eyes to look at his quietly chuckling chief. "It's not my fault D decided he'd rather have me than Shao Lin."

"Shao Lin being Mrs. Shao's daughter, I assume. Well, if she's like her mother, I can only congratulate the Count's choice."

"Haha." The blonde let his head sink back down before his hand grasped for the phone. "Just need to call D and make sure everything's okay," he mumbled. The chief snorted, but left the cubicle. Leon dialled in the number.

"Leon, is that you?"

A small smile, perhaps the first for hours, graced Leon's face. "Yeah, it's me. Hey D. You're okay in the shop? You haven't been overrun by haters because I dared to arrest some Chinese citizens?"

"Not so far, no, but Mrs. Chang stopped by to tell me that the police went to the house of the Shao family and took the couple away. Lin was in hysterics, she said." There was tension in D's voice. Leon sighed deeply.

"You know, one of the greatest faults of FBI-agents is that they barely ever tell us _amateurs_ what's going on. Carter was busier than I thought. He managed to find the company. ALo, Andersen&Lovett. You know, those guys who make paint colours. The stuff we used to paint my apartment was ALo."

D didn't comment on that.

"D, you know I tried to keep track of the case, but I could only talk to Adrianne, and if I'd mixed into Carter's investigation without being asked -"

"I'm not holding anything against you, Leon." Now D's voice was very soft and mellow. "I know that you've been far too busy to concentrate on that case, too. That you tried nevertheless is something I honour."

"You're just trying to make me feel okay with having sucked there, too," the human remarked tiredly and heard a warm smile through the phone.

"No, I'm not. You did what you could and I'm sure that you did a lot more than you actually told me. I know how often that phone of yours rang because Jill needed your advice."

"How can you -?" Leon broke off, placated by the fact that D had noticed he had a separate ringtone for Jill. "Oh, alright, it's still Carter who busted them."

"And you who set everything in motion in the first place. He could only succeed because you had laid the base. But, to return to topic, yes, Chinatown is pretty much in uproar. Will the Shao family have problems?"

"In the way that they're gonna lose quite a few of their top employees, yes. In the way that they themselves're gonna end up in prison – the answer to that isn't yet sure, but pretty probably no."

"Should I talk to Lin?"

"You think we're gonna get problems?"

A sigh floated through the phone. "Without any doubt. Chinatown is out of the American jurisdiction most of the time, but this time it was broken. I don't doubt that people will be very upset about that."

"Taking it out on us as always."

"Well, we could tell them that we are not a couple anymore… you could move into an apartment, at least for some time…"

"And they're gonna forget it was you who had Dana and stood up for me?" Leon countered. "No chance in hell, D. They're gonna calm down sooner or later, but I'll not leave you to take it all on yourself."

"How very manly of you."

Leon laughed softly. "Fuck you, D. And give the kids a hug from me."

He heard the kami chuckling as the receiver was put down and turned back to the various statements with renewed energy. Even if they couldn't bust the Shaos, they could still hurt them back.

* * *

Chris got to see his brother right before he got back on the plane to New York, but didn't seem to take it too hard. Leon managed to bring him to the airport, but then he fell into his bed and slept like he never wanted to wake up again. Seeing the dark shadows under Jill's eyes, who arrived three hours later, D refused to hand Jamie over to her until she had at least slept some hours, too, which she did in the room Chris had just vacated, for he also deemed it too dangerous for her to get back behind a steering wheel.

Which left him again with two very active children and a constantly ringing phone. It seemed everyone wanted to call him. The mayor called, asking if he had suffered any discomfort due to the police actions in Chinatown, and went on to remarking that the Shao family were such nice people. Mr. Fa called to let D know that the American insolence was only getting worse and worse. Mr. Chen called to tell D that if he had any problems, he should just let him know. Mrs. Chang of course came in person, spilling each and every rumour that was flying around Chinatown at the moment.

D was pissed.

"Why can't they ever leave me alone?" he fumed, almost slamming the receiver down and then rushing over to where Jamie was just trying to tug a curtain down. "Jamie, no!"

"You're a kami," Ten-chan said matter-of-factly, plucking Dana off a cabinet where she had been happily employed in decorating a sleeping cat with incense. "Honey, you know you're doing something wrong, don't you?" Dana blinked up at him innocently, making him chuckle. "Alright, you little sprite, if you've gotta strew that stuff, don't do it on any pets, okay?"

"I'd prefer her not strewing it anywhere," D sighed and sat on his chair. "I know what I am, Ten-chan. But just because I'm one of their gods doesn't mean I belong to them."

"Well, and when have humans ever not tried to make something they wanted their own?" the fox countered, dusting the cat off with a feather duster, making Dana on his hip giggle. The cat just growled, but was obviously too lazy or just too pissed to clean herself.

"Lemme think, lemme think!" Tetsu cut in from the kitchen and stretched his head out. "Oh. Well, never."

D glared at both pets.

"Man, Count, c'mon. You could've kept the shop closed and lived a happy life with Leon and Dana. Why did you open it up again if not because of that? We need the humans as much as they need us," Ten-chan replied to the glare. D leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"Perhaps we should leave America," he murmured. "I have been in this place for far too long. They are trying to monopolise me already. They never did that before."

"You never before stayed in one city for more'n four years. You never developed bonds with a human living in a specific city. Much less had a child with him."

The young kami opened his eyes again and smiled at Dana.

"See what I mean?" Ten-can emphasised. "What I think you really want is to leave the city and cut bonds with all your neighbours and Chinatown here. Including the Shaos. You've become a little restless again, Count."

"Leon will never leave America," D said after a moment's silence. "And I will not force him to do so."

"Well, then you'll have to put up with everything that your stay entails," Shuko cut in, having entered quietly in the meantime. Her eyes were big and dark. "Whatever it might be."

The others looked at her in sudden discomfort.

Then more noise from the back told them Leon and Jill had woken up again and the usual chaos set in, which lasted until the late hours of the evening. By then, D felt dead on his feet and almost staggered into his bed. He was so tired that he didn't even truly wake up when someone tugged at his sleeve what seemed like only a few minutes of sleep later. Plus, he was used to it.

"Bàbà, I wanna play!" his child's voice demanded his attention, but the young kami simply was too worn out.

"Go to Daddy and ask him if he wants to play with you," he mumbled and turned around. He was asleep again before Dana had even left the room.

Only seconds later he was shaken awake rudely by a loud crash and a desperate wail. "DADDY!"

They reached Dana at the same time and Leon cradled her to his bare chest anxiously while she continued crying. Blood was spilling from a cut on her forehead and when he accidentally touched her arm, she screamed.

"Shit! D!"

"To the kitchen, please, I'll fetch some bandages," D ordered and ran to get the required items while Leon took Dana to the kitchen and sat down there with her, pressing a washcloth to the cut in her forehead and carefully minding her arm.

"We've gotta go to a doctor!" he assaulted D at once when the kami stepped inside.

"No," he replied firmly and knelt down. "Take away that cloth and let me see it."

"D! She fell down the stairs! We've gotta get her to the hospital or something! Just look at her arm, it's completely – weird!"

D cast a glance at the limb in question. "Dana, does your arm hurt?"

"Yeees!" she wailed and screeched when he touched it. Several of the pets filed into the kitchen, anxious and worried.

"What happened?" Tetsu cried out, seeing his baby. "How could that happen?"

Leon responded angrily to the accusing glare that was directed at him. "I don't know, you freak, I just woke because she started screaming and when I came out of my room, I found her there like this! Why didn't _you_ keep an eye on her? You're the one who sleeps beside her bed three times a week."

"Leon, take away this washcloth! Thank you. So now, it looks worse than it is. She doesn't need stitches." With firm hands D cleaned the cut and applied butterfly stitches. Leon, being distracted by another staring duel with the totetsu, snapped back just as D took Dana's arm to have a closer look at it. It was kind of hard not to notice that action, since the girl immediately started screaming like she was being burnt at the stake.

"NOOOO! Hurting me!" Each word was accompanied by numerous sobs. Leon clutched her protectively and held her out of D's reach.

"Don't do that!" he fumed. "Can't you see that you're hurting her? Her damn arm's broken, what in hell do you think you're doing?"

D glared at him. "I think I'm going to fix it, Leon, and I would be very grateful if you'd give it back to me now. The sooner I bandage it, the sooner she'll feel better."

"No way. We're going to a doctor."

"We are _not_ going to a doctor, Leon, not now and not later. I am perfectly able to splint her arm."

"You can do that with your animals all you want, but not to my child!"

"Well then, I am going to do it to _my_ child," D snapped, his worry winning over his cool head for the first time since finding Dana there. "Tetsu, I need the little green bottle from my medicine cabinet, please."

"And you're not going to drug her either!"

"I am going to treat her, no matter what you say!" D rose to his feet, glaring at the human. "I will not take Dana to any doctor, not even one I know."

"God, could you stop being so fucking paranoid for once? Nobody will fucking notice that she's different if we just keep our yaps shut."

Tetsu handed D the bottle and the kami swiftly prepared a glass with lemonade and the clear liquid from the bottle which he then offered to Dana. She was still sobbing quietly, but her attention was on her parents, now that nobody was touching her arm anymore.

Leon snatched her out of reach again. D's patience snapped.

"Set her down," he ordered quietly, looking Leon straight in the eyes. The human fought against his gaze, he could feel it, but he wasn't going to give in. "I said, set her down, Leon!"

Leon complied, finally, and D offered the glass to Dana. She hesitantly sipped, but when she recognised the lemonade, she drank thirstily. Only a moment later her eyelids dropped and D caught her when she fell asleep.

"You asshole!" Leon roared and D instantly regretted not taking a permanent spell. "You fucking asshole bewitched me!"

"Because you wouldn't listen to me and I don't have time to discuss matters with you right now. Will you ever start thinking about Dana's well-being instead of your fears?"

Leon fell silent abruptly. D almost expected him to run out and slam the door on him, followed by days-long silence, but instead Leon extended his arms for Dana. He hesitated, not sure what the human wanted him to do.

"You can't bandage her arm if you're holding her, can you?" Leon snapped. "Well then give her to me, since I can at least hold her, and it's obviously the only thing I'm allowed to do in here!"

They only spoke again when D had carefully righted the broken bone and bandaged it so it could heal properly. Dana's face contorted several times, but she didn't wake, much to Leon's relief, who hadn't taken his eyes from his daughter during the whole procedure.

"Thank you, Leon," D said quietly as he put away the remaining bandages. The blonde looked up at him, face confused.

"What for? I didn't do anything."

D smiled wordlessly, not answering. "Do you want to lay her down in her own bed or would you rather take her with you tonight?"

Leon looked down on the child. "We could all sleep in one bed," he voiced, sounding careful. D just looked at him.

"Yours is the biggest one in here. She could sleep between us. Don't you think she's gonna need both of us when she wakes up again?"

D smiled and went ahead to open the doors.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, I hope this answeres at least some questions you had ;-)

hieiashke: Yes, rather human at the moment. Very human, to be honest. However, rather understandable, isn't it? And considering that it's not the first time D hit Leon, he should be rather used to it...

dragons chaotica: Thank you very much :-) I usually cure writer's block by talking to my beta until she's sick of me and the story - you might wanna try that, works real wonders for me. Anyway, as long as university doesn't start swallowing up all my free time again, updates will be coming regularly, so you should see quite a bit of this story in the future ;-)

anonymous: Well, if it's any consolation for you, I don't like him dating Adrianne either -.- Of course this won't work if Leon really decides that he'll go steady with her - but let's just wait and see what's gonna happen, okay? ;-)

Thanks to you all for the review, and I hope you've had fun with this chapter, too.


	16. Grandparenting

**Grandparenting**

They had a very rough night, although Dana had drunken the sleeping potion. The girl shifted and turned and finally Leon decided there was no point in this, stood up and started carrying Dana around like he had done in the months when she'd had nightmares every night.

Of course D couldn't sleep while a human was walking through his bedroom, so he got up, too, and made tea and coffee for Leon and they took turns at carrying Dana around until soft light filtering through leaves told them it was morning. Dana still hadn't woken and now Leon was worried that D had given her too much of his potion.

"Really, D, I just want someone else to have a look at her. Someone with a medical degree," he hissed, keeping his voice down. "I just wanna make sure she'll be alright, and I'm sorry if that sounds like I'm not trusting you, but I don't know shit about broken bones."

The young kami rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Leon, calm down. I promise she won't suffer any harm because of it, once it is healed." Seeing the human's glare, he finally relented. He could understand his worry, somehow; the first time one of his own pets had broken something, he had been just as worried and not even Grandfather had been quite able to convince him the pet would be alright again. "I can call Grandfather, if you wish so. He knows much more about medicine than I do."

Leon stiffened and tensed up, torn between his disgust for Q-chan and his need to confirm that his child would be alright. He knew he wouldn't get D to go to a doctor, and he couldn't take Dana there alone either; if someone noticed something off with the girl, he needed D to cover it up, so that was out.

And Q-chan had a lot of experience, didn't he? He'd want his great-grandchild to be okay, too, wouldn't he?

D was impatiently tapping his foot and piercing him with a glare. Leon gave in. "Okay. Okay, call the old bat. But I want to be there when he does something with Dana, is that clear?"

The kami smiled amiably. "Of course, Leon. Of course."

* * *

"I never thought something like this would happen." Sofu's glare was directed at both human and kami as he carefully handled Dana's arm. The girl made no sound of protest, but Leon's eyes were nevertheless locked on the eldest. "How can you be so careless with such a small child?"

"The small child has been able to climb the steps to Leon's room for months and is also able to do a lot of things on her own already, Grandfather," D replied, almost bored. It got him another glare. Sofu gently let go of Dana's arm and bandaged it again.

"She will be alright again. It is not complicated and besides, she is a child. Children's bones are far weaker than those of an adult and they are also quicker to heal."

Leon did look a little relieved at that, although the presence of the eldest made him itchy. It was the first time he had even met him since the night D's father died, and the look Sofu'd shot him when he entered had told the blonde that this was neither forgiven nor forgotten.

Alright, alright. He was probably also angry at Leon for everything that had happened to D because of him.

The eldest promptly went on to lecture them about Dana's education, making D roll his eyes and Leon angry. He only managed to keep his tongue in check because T-chan was sitting under the sofa, keeping his teeth just millimetres from Leon's thigh.

"You have spoiled her quite. Children need discipline and rules, Grandson, you know that. Or have you been corrupted so much?" Sofu's eyes rested on Dana with disagreement, using her fingers to eat her cake while standing beside the table rather than sitting. Neither Leon nor D cared to inform him that had she been sitting on the sofa, it would later have shown signs of chocolate cream. One had to make compromises, and although they wanted their daughter to learn proper table manners, cream cake was too dangerous when eaten on the sofa.

But Sofu obviously took it as a sign that they were unable to teach the child manners and continued with his lecture, happily ignored by the cake-eating child and borne by the adults.

Finally the child in question decided to prove that the eldest wasn't as immune to her charms as he acted. "Grandfather?" Dana asked and turned pleading eyes up at Sofu, mouth and fingers smeared with cream. Both Leon and D hid amused smirks behind their teacups when the eldest Count practically melted on the spot and allowed the girl to crawl into his lap.

"So, discipline and rules, that's it, yes?" the blonde teased.

Sofu growled. "You are her parent. I am the grandparent. I may spoil her if I wish to do so," he replied stiffly. D raised an eyebrow.

"I'm your grandchild, too," he remarked.

Sofu sniffed. "You were different. In your case, I had to replace your father, just like with Dee."

"He was different in the way that you had to teach him to be a heartless bastard?"

It had slipped out before Leon could hold himself back. D looked at the ceiling as if expecting some supernatural help from there (which, of course, was highly unlikely to come, since there were already enough supernatural beings around). Tetsu bit down on Leon's leg and Pon-chan hid her head in her hands.

"You are the last person on earth who is entitled to judge us, Detective Orcot." The parlour turned into an ice cave.

"You're the last person in the universe to judge D's and my education," the human replied defiantly. "Let go, Tetsu, it's true! You call what he gave D an education?"

"My grandson at least knows how to properly eat his food," Sofu snapped. Leon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, 'cause that's so important the world's gonna end if she eats the cake with her fingers. Just so you know, children need love and not manners."

Sofu's eyes nearly bulged out. "You – insolent – human!" he gritted out. Leon huffed.

"'Human's not a curse word in this shop anymore. There're far too many of them in here now."

"Grandfather, would you please take Dana to her room? Someone is coming to see me."

Surprised, both Leon and Sofu let themselves be shushed into the back, just in time so that Yi Jonas, who had been coming down the steps, didn't get to see them anymore.

She could hear them nevertheless, because they obviously continued their debate in the back. Very loudly.

Her eyes darted to the curtain leading to the back. "Am I untimely? Should I come at another time?"

"No, not at all," D assured her, skilfully ignoring the fight going on in the back. "Leon is just having a little disagreement with someone else than me, and I rather think I will let him have some fun."

She started to laugh at his words. "Count, whatever you are telling everyone, you and that detective, you aren't as much lovers as you're enemies and best friends, in turns," she said, amused, and sat down on the sofa. "Truly, with the way you sometimes treat each other…"

D smiled and sat down, too, not voicing that both Yi and Patrick Jonas belonged to those few whom he would let see through the curtain.

"May I ask to what I owe the honour of your visit?" he inquired, offering tea to her. "Please excuse the mess, we just had tea together…"

"It's no inconvenience," she assured him and took the cup thankfully. "I merely thought I'd come and see how you and the detective are doing now that Mrs. Shao has openly vowed revenge to him…"

Grandfather and the fight going on in the back were forgotten as D sat up straight and listened to the latest news of Chinatown.

* * *

**A/N: **Yes, it's a pretty short chapter, but my exams are coming up and I need to learn at least a little... next chapter will be longer again, I promise.


	17. Kidnapping the Triad Daughter

**Kidnapping the Triad Daughter**

"You do have a certain ability to make things complicated, Leon, don't deny that." D sighed as he sat down again after having seen Grandfather off. "How do you do it? I cannot remember ever having so many problems with slighted people before."

"Q-chan's an idiot!" the human grumbled, irked at the reprimand. "As is Mrs. Shao. Or all those other high society guys you know. Except the Jonas's."

"Well, I'm glad you can stand at least a few of my important acquaintances," D remarked dryly, trying not to smile. "I do not dare imagine what we would face should you dislike _all_ of them…"

Leon cracked open one eye and grinned at him. "Hey, 'twas you who was smirking his ass off when I accused your gramps of being totally outdated."

D's eyes sparkled. "No matter if his opinions are rather old-fashioned and seldom apply to our situation, he only wants to help me," he reminded his friend softly.

"Yeah, he wants to help you. Only that the help that might be right for _you_ ain't the help that'd be right for _us_." The blonde wanted to continue, but moaned in dismay instead when hasty steps descended the stairs and a loud knock sounded through the parlour. His face became outright fiendish when D opened the door, but then it changed to surprise at the sight of Shao Lin who tumbled inside. Her face was tear-streaked and she was sobbing uncontrollably. D evaded back, so Leon ended up with the girl in his arms, trembling like a leaf.

"I cannot!" she sobbed. "I will not put up with her any longer! She doesn't even care for me!"

D indicated the sofa and Leon nodded, guided the sobbing girl over carefully and made her sit down, while the kami quickly poured a cup of strong tea. In spite of Lin's obvious despair he had to bite back a smile; Leon's discomfort was simply too hilarious, and the way he patted Lin's shoulder awkwardly made him want to laugh out loud.

Lin took the cup of tea and the offered handkerchief thankfully and blew her nose before she sipped her tea. "I'm not going back to her again," she said decidedly. "Never. I don't care if I've got to give up studying. I'd rather die than go back!"

Leon and D exchanged a surprised look at the sudden passion in her voice, and the human switched into detective-mode. "Girl, you don't know what you're talking about. Running away from home just because of a silly argument is stupid. Trust me, I've seen dozens of girls who did that and thought they could make it on their own. Most of 'em were dead when I met them."

Lin sat up and glared at Leon icily. "Detective Orcot, I do not expect you to understand the strict rules of a traditional Chinese family. So would you please shut up? You can't even begin to understand what has happened, and what might happen if I won't run."

Leon glared back, and it was only thanks to D that they didn't start a fight. "Lin-san, Leon may not be able to understand Chinese traditions, but American families can be as complicated as ours, I assure you. Leon, just imagine for a moment Arthur Johnson was your father."

Lin still glared, while Leon shut up. "With all due respect, Count, I don't understand why you always defend him. He treats you badly, he yells at you and insults you and you still forgive him. You even forgive that he's cheating on you!"

Uncomfortable silence fell. Leon's eyes snapped to D, their gaze wide and questioning. The young kami sighed softly. "Lin-san… Leon doesn't cheat on me. We are not a couple."

The blonde cleared his throat meaningfully. "Yep, just what I wanted to say, too."

Lin's eyes were big as saucers. "What? But Dana-chan…?"

"That's why I'm living in this shop," Leon said. "Living _in_, not living with D. Big difference."

Lin seemed stunned. "But who is her father, then?"

D again felt tempted to laugh out loud. Human narrow-mindedness was a real bother, but sometimes it was also simply funny. "Leon _is_ her father, Lin-san. Surely you know other children whose parents never were a couple."

"Ah… yes. Of course." She lowered her eyes and Leon glared at D, who returned the look with a mean smirk that spoke volumes. Leon blustered, but he gruffly had to admit that D was right. He didn't really want to discuss why their relationship had ended as it had, especially not with Lin. But he could still see that she was shaken by the news. Of course, Count D was special in her little world, someone she respected and looked up to, someone she had thought to preserve the traditions she had been raised to honour. Finding out now that he apparently didn't care much about them had to be a shock.

Why did nobody teach girls that even the one true love could be shattered?

"So, Lin-san, what was the reason for your quarrel with your mother?" D asked into Leon's thoughts, and Lin's eyes again filled with tears. "She wants me to give up my studies. And she said that if the detective can cheat on you, you can do so as well, and I, I…" She stopped, flushed, and the tears were both from humiliation as well as anger. Leon and D exchanged another look.

"Your mother tried to push you into D's bed and you know no other way than _run away_?" Leon burst out, his mouth twitching in spite of his anger.

"I told you you cannot understand our traditions!" Lin snapped. D soothed again.

"Lin-san, traditions are good and important, but they should give safety, not imprison the living. We are not in China. Nobody expects you to do what your mother says." A smile flitted over his face. "Apart from the fact that I am not particularly happy about her plans, and it does you credit that you resisted her pressure."

Lin shuddered slightly and started to cry anew. "I can't go home again. I can't! She won't leave me alone with it, and I can't do it! She frightens me! I know she's going to lock me up if I don't get pregnant soon!"

"What a bitch," Leon said, heart-felt. "Can't you transfer to another university?"

"And how shall I pay my rent? What shall I wear and eat? My parents will never support me if I've disobeyed them." Lin looked downright miserable, but also decided. "No, all I want is to get away from here. I don't care where to, I don't care which job I'll have to do. But not home again."

D sighed and caught Leon's eye. Standing up, he indicated the kitchen and Leon followed. "Why do people always come to you with their problems? Is that some strange ability of yours?" he asked, bemused, and leaned against a counter. "So, what're we gonna do with her? Pack her up and send her home with best regards and T-chan to teach her mother a lesson?"

"I rather thought about selling her a pet," D replied and the blonde sputtered.

"What the hell? No, D! I don't like her, but I don't dislike her that much. Sell her mum one."

D shook his head and sighed. "What other solution is there, Leon? She won't go home, and I have to admit that I feel rather disinclined to give Mrs. Shao the triumph of fleeing her, since I fear that is the only other option of making sure neither Lin nor I get under pressure."

"What if we just put her onboard the next plane to New York?" Leon asked flat out.

"And where is she going to live there? Besides, Mrs. Shao also has relatives in New York, as far as I know," D reminded Leon, who grimaced at the remembrance of meeting her in Chinatown once.

"But you can get to Europe pretty easy from New York." Their eyes met and D read a plan in Leon's.

"Sandra," he said, resigning and rejoicing at the same time. Leon grinned, satisfied. "Works for a company that goes overseas pretty often. Knows the right guys and has the means to convince them. If everything fails, Josie's at university in NY, and she does Spanish, too. Lin could just get undercover there. If she stays out of Chinatown…"

"There is no guarantee," D said.

Leon shrugged. "Same could happen in any other town, too, and NY's a big city. Besides, she can get into a plane to Europe anytime she wants to, and I bet it'll be more difficult for her mother to find her there."

"You are thinking too easy, Leon," D warned. "The triad has power everywhere."

Leon was silent for a moment. "And what would that animal do?" he asked then.

"Depending on what she does, it would protect her, but if she breaks the contract…"

"You'd not even make an exception for her?" Leon wanted to know, his eyes fixed on D's face. The kami raised an eyebrow and he grinned a little miserably. "Just thought I'd ask. That pet'd keep her safe in NY also, wouldn't it?"

"You want Dana out of Lin's reach, don't you?" D couldn't hide the amused sparkle in his eyes at the eager face of Leon. "Well, the thought of punishing Mrs. Shao's insolence by stealing her daughter is admittedly very appealing…"

Leon laughed out loud. "Great. Then I'll go and find out when the next flight leaves, call Sandy and drive her to the airport, and you do the rest."

D blinked, surprised at this sudden development, but then he shook his head, amused too, and went back to Lin to care of "the rest".

* * *

Which involved breaking into the Shao's house, since Lin flat out refused to go back and fetch more things than those she had hastily stuffed in the little bag she had brought with her. From the moment D told her about their plan, Lin set up camp in the parlour and became quiet and determined. He had to give the young woman that she didn't budge for one second and stayed with her decision to leave her parents. Even Leon gruffly admitted that he hadn't expected that.

However, he wasn't too thrilled about D's little visit to the Shao's house. But then, what detective would have been?

D was nevertheless only amused. He had managed to get into Lao Tao Wei's house unnoticed to kill the man, he would be able to slip into the Shao's house as well to fetch a few things from Lin's room. And he was looking forward to it as well. He might not be the same adrenaline junkie Leon was, but a little excitement every now and then never hurt. Especially not if it involved getting something back at Mrs. Shao for her insolence, which chagrined him to no end.

"Really, D, you look like one of those master thieves in a bad movie." Leon leaned against the doorframe and watched D getting ready for his adventure. He didn't feel entirely well with D's plans and not for the obvious reasons. He didn't feel too good because he remembered the last time D had worn those clothes, and that had been the night Janet Williamson had been mauled. The results had been terrible, and although Leon was doing his best to come to terms with it, he still felt kind of guilty for her death.

A light hand touched his arm, slim, cool fingers made his skin prickle. He looked up into D's mismatched eyes, which were warm and soothing. "It was her decision, Leon. You did what you could and there's only so much anyone can do." The kami had again guessed his thoughts, apparently.

"And what about those that will come into the shop in the future?" Leon asked with a thick voice. He couldn't help it.

D's hand started to warm through the contact with Leon's skin. He looked down on the hand, the long fingernails that D carefully kept sharpened. And he had to smile. Just because. There was no answer to this.

"Be careful, will ya?" he said, gave the hand a squeeze and stepped back. The black-clad kami smiled and adjusted one glove. Leon had to grin again. "You really look like the drama queen of thieves," he chuckled. "Take care that no one kidnaps you for the next theatre."

"I would be more than happy to play any part they offer me." D's eyes twinkled.

"As long as it's a part where everybody jumps to your every whim," Leon added and waved the kami off. "Now go, before the night is over and you're still sitting here, brushing your hair in order to look good should you get caught."

D pouted, but he stepped up the stairs to Leon's room, the human following close. Sitting in Leon's open window, the kami breathed in the scent of the sleeping city. "It's a good night for the hunt," he said, his eyes becoming narrow and eager. "Expect me back in an hour or so."

Then he was off, had jumped onto the roof of the pet shop, Leon watching his disappearing back and then returning to the parlour to make himself – and Lin, should she feel like it – some strong coffee. Neither of them was going to get much sleep tonight.

* * *

Like he had expected, it was easy enough to get into the Shao's house. They didn't even bother to keep dogs to keep strangers off their grounds (although that would only have held up D such that he would've had to pet them for a while), and security cameras were no obstacle, even without Q-chan's help. D still regretted the lack of his little companion for a moment. On evenings like this, he would have come in handy; but he would rather do this here with Leon in tow than asking Grandfather for help. No, that was out of the question. The man liked telling D off far too much for his taste. He might only be a teenager, but he had gone through much more than most adults already.

He sidled into the house after making sure nobody had seen him and quietly took the bag Lin had told him about out from under the bed, wondering how a mother could make a home so uncomfortable that her daughter had kept her things packed since months. He desperately hoped that he would never make Dana feel she needed to do so.

But then his curiosity was sparked, for no real reason. It was just that now he was already here – why shouldn't he look around for a bit? He was pretty sure that after tonight, he would not receive any kind of invitation to visit the Shao's family home, so this was more or less his last chance to do so.

The bag was placed on the bed as D quietly opened the door and stepped into the corridor. It smelled familiar here, much more so than in Leon's old apartment (and the new one, too, even if that was in the pet shop). It was dark in here, and silent, but downstairs he could see a faint light in one of the rooms. With steps quiet as a cat's, he walked down the staircase and sidled up to the door which was slightly ajar. He cast a glimpse inside and saw Mr. Shao sitting in an armchair, reading the newspaper. His brow was wrinkled, and just as D looked inside, he laid his newspaper aside.

"Xi, don't you think you should've been more careful? You know yourself that Lin isn't as outgoing as you are," he voiced. The answer came from the other side of the room, the one D couldn't see, but he recognised the high voice nevertheless.

"Don't be silly, darling, Lin's old enough to have children, and the Count is a reasonable husband, even if he does have that child from that man. If she just stopped being so shy, it'd do her some good. After all, what better can she wish for?"

"But, Xi, Lin wants to study," Mrs. Shao's husband protested.

"She can study when she's borne two or three children, heirs to our house. Now don't be such a fuss, dear. No one asked me if I wanted to marry either, and have I ever complained about the choice my parents made for me?"

"And this detective?" Mr. Shao dared to ask. There was a sharp intake of breath. "That – insolent detective will be taken care of, don't worry. He won't ruin my plans, and he won't bother my Lin much longer. It's a shame that the Count doesn't see what crude being he is. Why hasn't he fed him to his animals yet, I wonder? I know that he cannot find much in him."

D nearly shook his head. _More than I find in your daughter, dear Mrs. Shao, believe me._

The man rose half in his seat. "Xi, what do you mean, he'll be taken care of? Have you – what are you going to do? You cannot kill a police officer, that's-"

Mrs. Shao laughed, what she probably thought to be a silver laugh. She had to learn a lot if she really wanted to achieve that goal. "Oh dear, don't you worry, I've told you before. Believe me, it's completely safe, and I don't plan on killing him anyway. No, I just intend to let nature take its course. Once Lin is pregnant with the Count's child, he will get bored with him, I bet, or angry at him, and if Lin plays her cards right then, the Count will throw him out finally."

"But if he doesn't?" Mr. Shao insisted, his voice taking on a frightened note. D bit his lip. No matter if Leon was his mate or not, he could not allow anyone to kill the father of his child. And just like Mr. Shao, he was not convinced that Mrs. Shao would really refrain from killing a police officer if he crossed her plans.

"I promise, darling, I won't kill him." Mrs. Shao sounded like a lamb, gentle and soothing. "Anyway, don't you worry about him. There is someone who'd –"

There were steps further down the corridor. A chambermaid came along, carrying a tray with tea. D quickly slipped into the shadows, hiding there until she had entered the room where the Shaos sat. Then he returned to Lin's room, grabbed the bag and hurried back to the shop. Yes, he had to take some measures himself.

"Whoa, D, she's asleep," Leon hissed as the kami entered the parlour, against his usual behaviour quite loudly, and pointed to the couch where Lin had fallen asleep.

"Then wake her up," D answered, his voice hard. "She's going to leave now, this very moment."

The blonde human blinked in surprise. "What? But the first flight leaves in three hours," he protested. "You don't even wanna serve her some breakfast?"

"She is going to leave my shop _now_," the kami repeated, steel hidden in his words. Leon picked up on it.

"Okay, so what happened at the Shaos?" he asked, crossing his arms and setting aside his cup with coffee.

D shook his head and pointedly looked at Lin. "Later," he ruled. "Now wake her up and we'll leave. I want to make sure personally that she's on that plane."

For once, Leon did as he was told, woke the sleeping girl and stuffed her things into his newly repaired car. Lin clambered in, still half asleep, but D didn't leave her much time to continue her sleep. While they drove to the airport, he asked her several questions which she answered without hesitation, although Leon could see that she didn't understand where D was going with them.

If D wished to be, he was very efficient, and he managed to get Lin checked in almost one hour ahead of time, then sent the girl off after giving her some money and telling her where to find Sandy. She left with a slightly troubled look on her face, but had a warm smile for D. Leon was ignored completely.

Looking at her disappearing back, the human crossed his arms and stared at the kami he was sharing the shop with. "So, what in hell was this about?"

"Without wanting to sound rude, but I think you have been topped where rudeness is concerned," D replied, his eyes on Lin's back as it disappeared behind the controls. "If I can help it, Mrs. Shao will not see her daughter again. Never, and I mean it."

Leon shook his head in wonder. "What did she do? Tried to lay you herself while you were there?" he exclaimed, astonished.

D turned to smile at him, his eyes hard. "No. But I have overheard a very interesting conversation between her and her husband. And I decided that the farther this family stays from mine, the better."

The blonde couldn't help the satisfied grin that crossed his face now. "Been telling you that for months," he emphasised before he fell in step beside D. "You haven't told me what it was she said."

D waved that off. "Nothing in particular which would interest you. Let's just say, I don't agree with the plans she had for her daughter and myself. At all."

Leon nodded, understanding dawning on his face. For a second D considered telling him that he also hadn't agreed with her plans concerning Leon and his child; but then, Leon wasn't that dumb, and could probably imagine what those were.

* * *

**A/N: **Hey, nobody felt compelled to say something about Sofu's quarrel ;-) I'm surprised.

Oh, and have you noticed that there's a new category on my homepage?


	18. Another Return to the Shop

**Another Return to the Shop**

Leon had predicted that the Shaos would find out soon enough who'd been the one to help their daughter run off, and D hadn't expected otherwise, either, so he wasn't exactly surprised when three days after Lin had landed safely – although very tiredly – at the airport in New York he got a visitor. Sandy had called immediately after she'd gotten the girl a room in some private, quiet motel where she wouldn't be immediately spotted. She was quite amused by Lin; especially her reaction when she found out that Sandy was a friend of Leon's had been very funny, she'd told D on the phone. And then promised to keep an eye on her, as well as Josie, whom Leon had called later that day. So Lin was taken care of; just her family remained, and this now entered the shop at quite a fast pace, eyes blazing with fury.

"Where is she?" Mrs. Shao hissed, stopping just in front of D, who had risen to greet her and now smiled his best infuriating smile at her.

"Where is who, Mrs. Shao?" he asked.

"Lin. My daughter. Do not try to talk your way out of this. I know she's been in this shop, and I also know that this detective brought her to the airport three days ago. Where is she?"

It paid to have friends at the airport who kept a customer's destination secret. D's smile became mean. "I do not think Shao Lin would be happy if I told you where she went. In fact, if I understood her right, she was very intent on you _not_ knowing that," he said and gestured towards the tea tray. "Would you care for some tea? I have a pot of chamomile, which is very good for frazzled nerves, if you would…"

"I don't care about your tea," the woman cut him off, her face contorted with anger. "Either you tell me where my daughter has gone to, or I swear, you'll regret this."

D's voice dropped to a hiss. "_You_ swear I am going to regret this? _You_ want to threaten me, Mrs. Shao? I would rethink my words, if I were you. I have told you before, more than once, that I will not tolerate you mixing into my affairs, and I also warned you that I would make sure you won't. You did not adhere my warning; now you are facing the consequences. Yes, I know where your daughter is; but I am not going to tell you. I have not taken her from you without reason."

He saw her eyes widening in understanding and then narrow again in renewed fury. "Traitor!" she hissed. D smiled coolly.

"You may call her traitor, I call her intelligent. Much more so than her mother, truth be told. At least she has the sense to know where not to step. And if you do not wish to have anything happen to her – if you should still feel anything that resembles a mother's love towards your child, I would be careful with what actions you will take in the future."

Mrs. Shao's eyes burnt into his skin. "I swear, Count, you are going to regret what you did," she hissed, turned on her heel and went out, closing the door quietly behind her. D stayed back, his expression thoughtful. Yes, this woman was more dangerous than he had anticipated, and he had the bad feeling that she was going to be true to her word.

* * *

The silence in the kitchen was amazing. After all, they both were in here, but hadn't been quarrelling or talking or anything else, although there was enough to talk about.

D decided to put a stop to that. "You haven't been talking about Miss Ward for quite some time."

Leon, his head lying on the kitchen table, blinked one eye open. "Yeah. 's 'cause I broke up with her."

"What?"

Now he grinned as he propped his head up on his hands. "_Excuse me_, D, _excuse me_. You don't want Q-chan being angry at me for ruining your manners, too, do you?"

The young kami only raised an eyebrow at that. Leon sighed and rested his chin on his hands. "Dunno. 'Twas just – I don't think I really want a relationship, ya know? Not because of you," he added hastily, seeing the look on D's face. "Or because of what happened on that camping trip… just because…"

D was just about to reply when suddenly the phone rang. Leon got there first, and his face grew even more serious.

"What? But, Aunt Ma- … yeah, I know, but – what? You can't be – dammit, couldn't you have called earlier?"

With a curse the receiver landed on the phone again, while Leon already was on his way out the door, one arm in his jacket. D, perplexed, called after him. "Leon, what is it?"

The blonde barely turned around as he jumped up the steps. "Gotta go to the airport and pick up Chris."

D followed him at once, running after him to the car. "What – why is Chris here in Los Angeles?"

"Don't ask me, ask Aunt Mary," Leon gritted through his teeth as he got into his car. Then he looked up and D could see sadness in his eyes. "Or better don't. I guess Arthur'd have your head if you called and he happened to pick up the phone."

The car came alive with a horrible sound and Leon drove off, leaving D to wander back to the shop in considerable confusion. If he talked like that… if Mary Johnson was sending Christopher down to Los Angeles…

He might have been wrong in assuming that Chris's return to his family would heal the wounds torn by Samantha's remark.

But then again, he wasn't sure if that hadn't only been the last little straw that broke the camel's back in this marriage…

* * *

Thinking about it now that the daily chaos was over and the shop had become quiet, Leon could feel a creeping sensation in his stomach. Aunt Mary and Uncle Arthur having a fight that made her send Chris down to him… it sounded like…

The bedclothes D had given Chris rustled when the boy moved on Leon's couch. He had insisted on sleeping in his brother's room, and Leon, who felt that his brother needed him, had said yes. And now the boy's voice floated through the darkness. "Brother…?"

Leon turned around and looked to the couch. "Yeah, squirt, what's it?"

"Are Mom and Dad gonna get divorced?" Chris's voice sounded tearful. Now that it was dark again, his fears returned; or maybe he was only now starting to process what had really happened and what it could mean. After all, it had all happened in a kind of rush – the phone call, arriving at the airport just in time, the arrival at the shop and the resulting chaos…

Leon didn't know which it was, but he knew that he wanted to have D here to explain. D was much better at this, and was also much better at soothing Chris's fears. It was amazing, how much the boy trusted in D doing the right thing. Leon didn't want to shatter this trust with the truth about how much even D did wrong, and he was afraid of Chris asking questions that would require the truth.

"I dunno, buddy. Yes, perhaps they are. But I don't think so. Your parents have been a couple for so many years now, it's normal that they fight, even if it's a real big fight this time."

"It's because of Josie and the Count," Chris said, half choking on the words. "Because Dad hates him so much, and you and Josie don't and Mom says you've got a right to see me. Dad says he didn't raise me as his son to see all his education erased by the Count. He said some very bad things about him, too."

Dammit, one would really think Arthur'd help Chris to become integrated in the human world again, become the boy Leon wished for his brother to be, one that had many friends and could laugh while being able to see the greater picture. But all he did was confusing Chris even more which way was the right one. Perhaps it really was better to have him in the shop. Even if neither D nor Leon wanted to expose the boy to their problems, too. Dana suffered just enough for them.

On the other hand, their fights were something Chris was at least used to, while Aunt Mary and Uncle Arthur had never – as far as Leon could remember – really fought. Aunt Mary had always been content to find a compromise, and she'd been truly good at it, too.

"Listen, Chris, no matter what your dad says, D's a good guy. He's different, okay, and he does some things wrong on occasion, but he's a good guy."

"I know," Chris said, still sounding choked. "But why's Dad so angry? I don't want him to be angry at you and the Count and Josie. It's not fair, just because he doesn't like him!"

"No, it's not. But some things sometimes just aren't fair, Chris. And your dad's entitled to his own opinion. I didn't like D too much either at the start, remember?"

"You did!" Chris protested violently. "You liked him a lot, always!"

Leon rolled his eyes and was glad Chris couldn't see it. "Wasn't like as much as D," he mumbled and didn't understand himself what he wanted to say, but it made Chris giggle and that was good.

But then the boy stopped and Leon knew he was probably thinking about the separate bedrooms in the shop. He knew which question was coming and cursed his brother when he voiced it. "Brother, why do people break up?"

Well, at least he hadn't asked directly about D and him. Leon really wasn't up to giving his brother that lecture about life. Instead he took a deep breath and chose his words carefully. "People change, Chris, and sometimes you just realise that the person you once loved isn't someone you like anymore. It's just – sometimes you change just too much, sometimes it's the other, sometimes both… you wake up and ask yourself what exactly made you think you'd be happy with that someone and you realise that you can't remember. And then you know that it's over. And it hurts like hell, but it'd hurt even more to stay and look at the other one and remember that once there was something that now is gone."

The bedclothes rustled again and Leon could imagine Chris huddling deeper into them. "But can't you do something before that happens?" his tiny voice asked. Leon sighed.

"Yeah, course you can. But, buddy, life's not that easy. You always think, oh, it's just a little something, and it's gonna change again, and that you've got so many other things to do which are much more important – catch a drug-dealer, for example, or bust a pick-pocket, whatever you want – that you deceive yourself until it's too late, and the little something has grown so big and heavy you just can't shoulder it anymore."

"Was that what happened to you and the Count?"

Leon stared at the dark ceiling. "Yeah, that's what happened to me and the Count. Now go to sleep, Chris, we wanna get up real early tomorrow."

* * *

At first D had thought he'd be able to handle the additional child in the shop, but even though Chris was quiet and happy to play with his friends, he soon realised that he couldn't continue like this. It was impossible to care for three children and the pets and the shop at the same time without neglecting someone. Since he was much more of a parent than a shopkeeper at the moment, it was naturally the customers who were neglected.

Monday had been okay; Tuesday was complicated, but Wednesday made him want to scream with frustration. Thursday morning he didn't even try to open the shop. Once Leon and Jill had left for work, he put Jamie into his cart, told Chris to carry Dana and went to the park with them, accompanied by Ten-chan and Tetsu. Pon-chan was left to take care of the shop.

The walk to the park alone was an adventure in itself. Dana wasn't very inclined to let Chris carry her, for some reason D didn't understand, and continued screaming until he finally handed the cart over to Chris and took his daughter himself. "Bàbà-aaaa!" Dana wailed and struggled in his arms, so much he could barely hold her.

"Dana, behave now!" he hissed, at the end of his tether. "I'm here, so stop screaming!"

"Bu-uut I do-oon't wa-aaan-!" What else she said was indiscernible, thanks to heavy sobbing. D smiled at some Chinese citizens, watching him in wide-eyed astonishment, then nearly screamed himself. "Chris!"

Ten-chan and Tetsu were thankfully quick enough to prevent the cart being pushed over by someone in a hurry, but now Chris looked tearful, too. "I didn't mean to do that, Count!" he cried out, his blue eyes pleading. D hurried to soothe at least one child while the other sobbed on his arms.

"I know, Chris, I know, it was the man's fault," he tried to be heard over Dana's screams and gritted his teeth. "Dana, will you stop screaming now! I'm right here, you're in my arms, what do you want!"

"Hey Count, people are quite interested in us," Tetsu pointed out and D's patience finally snapped.

"Then let them gawk all they want!" he hissed. "I don't care for them any more than I care for the street under my feet! Dana, be quiet or I'll leave you right here!"

Chris stared at him, both pets stared at him and Dana screeched in fear. "Bàbà! Noooo!" A few people turned around and gaped at him. D would've given anything to be able to disappear.

"We're going home," he said, voice tolerating no opposition. "Now. The park has been cancelled."

And then he turned on his heel and walked right back to the shop, Dana throwing a tantrum on his arms, wriggling, kicking and even biting him until he grabbed both of her feet with one hand and forced her to sit still, wishing he had a few other hands to cover her mouth with, or to keep her good hand still.

He didn't even make sure that Chris and Jamie were still behind him, he just hoped that fox and totetsu would make sure nothing happened to those two. He locked Dana in her room, then returned to the parlour to find Chris there with Jamie on his arms. The boy was crying now, too. "I'm sorry, Count!" he sniffled. D took a deep breath and sat down beside him.

"Chris, I'm not angry with you or anyone else," he tried to explain. "It's just that although I may not be human, I can only handle so much, too. And you, Dana, Jamie, the shop and the pets – it's just too much today." He wiped a tear from Chris's cheek and smiled at the boy. "Please stay here and watch Jamie for me, okay? Dana is in her room and she will stay there as long as she hasn't calmed down. I have to make a phone call."

Chris nodded and D left him. His fingers shook as he dialled the number of Leon's desk at the precinct. "Take vacation," he said once someone had picked up the receiver.

"D, what the hell, I'm busy! If nothing's the matter with the kids, then please stop calling me on this phone. It's for work, you know," Leon snapped back. Obviously he'd had a bad day so far, too. But the cold fury that had built up in D's stomach needed to get out.

"I don't care if it's for work or not, you never cared that my phone is for work either. As for the children, you might want to know that if you're not going to take more care of them, I'll have them adopted by someone else, preferably Mrs. Shao!"

He could see Leon boiling, but he himself felt much better now. "I haven't had a quiet minute for days, I'm neglecting my duties, I cannot even take care of my pets properly because the children demand so much attention! Take vacation and take care of them! They're yours as much as mine and the shop is no kindergarten!"

"Hell, how much work can Chris be?" Leon snapped. "And you've had him before!"

"But not in combination with Dana and Jamie, and as much as I love all of them, I need some time for my business, too! That's why Lin was here, if I may remind you of that."

"And what about Ten-chan? Why don't you let him babysit, huh?"

D had to take another deep breath. "Because I rather thought I'd prevent all three of them learning more curse words than true words before they reach their next birthday. Because I thought you would not be too happy if they started adapting Ten-chan's state of mind and wreak havoc in the shop. Because, much as I like him, Ten-chan is not what I want as a constant babysitter of any child in my care! And I need some time to sort out a few things. How much can it hurt if you just take two or three days off to look after the children until I am done!"

The human grumbled and cursed angrily for a moment, but he didn't argue. "Okay," he said finally. "Okay, fine, I'll talk to the chief. Three days, at the most. I can't afford more."

D heaved a silent sigh of relief. "Then I'll see you later. Pick up some dinner for the kids and yourself."

"What about you?" Leon asked, sounding baffled.

D's lips quirked. "I will take care of my business. Don't expect me to be back before midnight."

He put down the receiver, sighed and rested his head in his hands for a few seconds. He could hear Dana still screaming in her room, her voice now raw and desperate with the fear of D making true on his words and leaving her; Chris in the front room, trying unsuccessfully to calm Jamie down while Ten-chan was preparing a little bottle with milk for the boy; and Tetsu, arguing with Pon-chan who would fetch D to the chaos.

Then he got up determinedly. Work was there to be done, and he could fall into his bed later. Only a few more hours, only a few and Leon would be there, and he would finally be able to do the shop's business and…

He wanted to die.

* * *

"Uh-oh, no way."

Leon stopped the kami rushing past him with one strong arm and determinedly dragged him back into the parlour. D, confused and surprised, followed without any kind of argument until Leon stopped right before the tea table, waving around bags that smelled of food. "Dinner!" he called out, causing commotion in the back of the shop. D stepped back and smoothed out his cheongsam.

"What does that mean?" he asked, curious despite himself. "What are you doing?"

Leon made sure he stayed where he was and started placing the bags on the table. "You're not leaving this shop before you've eaten something," he said firmly. "So just sit down and relax. Your customers can wait ten minutes longer if you've kept them waiting a day already."

D gazed at him wide-eyed for a moment, but when he felt Leon's hand on his shoulder pressing him down, he sat in his chair. Chris came from the back, carrying Jamie on his arms. "Brother!" he cried out happily and added, quickly, "Dana's asleep. She screamed the whole afternoon and then fell asleep."

The elder Orcot rolled his eyes. "Great," he mumbled. "She'll be up half the night now." He caught sight of D's smile and sighed, giving him one of the bags. "There ya go. Chris, gimme Jamie, Jill's gonna come in half an hour, she needed to talk to someone still. I'll feed'm." Indicating one of the bags with his head, he looked at D. "That's vegetarian stuff. Dunno if it's good, but it's without meat. God, D, eat!" he added, seeing the kami look at the clock in worry.

"Damn right he is," Ten-chan agreed from the kitchen and brought Jamie's milk. D wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but to humour everyone in the parlour, he took the bag and started to eat, noticing that Chris only took his first bite after he'd seen D start eating, too. Involuntarily he blushed and hid his head in the bag. It was the child's reaction more than anything else that told him he'd overstrained it this time. He'd pushed himself too far, too much, had asked for help too late…

Jamie let go of the bottle with a satisfied burp and fell asleep right there on Leon's arms. The human smiled down on him. "That's right, lil'buddy, sleep. Mama's gonna pick you up in a second," he said softly, then looked at D. "You're fed, too?"

The kami nodded, blushing again when he noticed he'd eaten everything Leon had brought him.

"Fine, then you can leave now. And heaven help you if you'll return one minute past midnight."

"I'll do my very best," D murmured, was glad that his hair hid his face and slipped out, leaving Leon to deal with the remains of the daily chaos.

* * *

Leon felt a stab of guilt seeing D's face the next morning. The kami looked like he'd had a real bad night, or perhaps just a very strenuous one, but still, it was wrong for him to look like this.

Not that Leon's night had been that much better. He'd spent almost three hours convincing Dana that neither of her fathers was going to leave her anywhere, that D hadn't meant what he'd said on the street, that they loved her and would always do so. He'd wanted to be angry at D for frightening Dana so much, but when she suddenly started to throw a tantrum just because he had forbidden her to play with one of his beer cans, he knew that he couldn't really hold it against the kami. Dana's arm and the fact that she couldn't move and play like she wanted to at the moment were enough to cause a bad mood; the sudden loss of attention Chris's presence caused only added to it.

When he finally got her to sleep, Jill used the opportunity to call and tell him about her case and the problems she had with it, and Leon didn't have the heart to tell her to shut up and let him sleep, especially because he could hear Jamie crying through the phone. And when Jill had hung up, Chris suddenly stood in his door and wanted to tell him that he was really worried about the Count, because he was so stressed and the people in Chinatown were strange to him. And when Chris had finally fallen asleep on the sofa, it had been morning and time to wake up D and make breakfast.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" he asked hoarsely and tried to feed Dana a spoonful of apple puree, which she only ate after a patient wait of three minutes. Chris was sipping his cacao and watching them, slightly worried. D sighed and steeled himself with tea.

"Jill and Jamie should come in half an hour," he murmured. "I can help you for twenty minutes, but then I have got a customer. After that I have to meet Signore Luciano, he has problems with his dogs. Then I wanted to keep the shop open for at least two hours; I think it's necessary." He glanced at Leon, unsure. "If that is not too long."

The blonde tried not to bite his lip. "I've gotta work a little," he mumbled. "I promised the chief I would; just write a report or two. It's probably for the best if we all just go to my rooms and stay there as long as you need the shop, ain't it?"

D nodded and started to look more relaxed.

Leon really hoped he enjoyed being able to conduct his business in peace, because he for sure couldn't do anything in quiet. Dana's mood was still considerably low, making her cry at every given opportunity and fight with whoever was responsible for the latest tantrum. Leon sat down in his chair after finally having gotten her to sleep, sighing quietly. Yeah, he knew why D wanted to have his peace sometimes. The children, as great as they were…

His thoughts came to a sudden halt when he caught sight of James, who had crawled to Leon's bookshelf and was now reaching up for the board nearest to him. Chuckling, his godfather stood and went over to him, not particularly worried about that. Jamie was too small to cause any harm to the contents of the shelf, in contrast to Dana.

But before he had reached the boy, James made one mighty effort and suddenly he was standing on his own little legs, looking at Leon with a bright smile. "On!" he cried. Leon's jaw fell as he gaped at the child, not able to believe what he was seeing.

"Jamie! Hey buddy, what's that?" he, too, cried out and hurried to kneel down beside the boy, offering his hands to him. Jamie staggered a little when he loosened one hand from the board, but Leon caught it in time to hold him, then took the other hand, too. "Hey, my boy, you're standing! I can't believe it! Well done! And what now?"

"On," the child gurgled and smiled, waving one little foot through the air. "Yeah, that's right, good, lil'buddy, just like that, and now put it down again – no, Jamie, on the floor…"

Leon managed to make Jamie walk three steps before the boy obviously had enough and sat back down to crawl to Leon. But once he'd reached his legs, he again pushed himself up and reached for Leon's T-shirt. He couldn't help himself – before he'd realised what he was doing, he was cuddling the boy so tightly Jamie almost started to protest. "Hey, Jamie, that was great! Real great, buddy! Your Mama's gonna be so proud of you!"

He'd apparently been too loud in his excitement, because the door opened and D entered, looking a little stressed. "Leon, what's the matter?" he started, but shut up at the bright smile on the human's face.

"Hey D, looka here. C'mon, Jamie, let's show D what you've learned today. That's right, just take my hands and now…" Jamie gurgled again when Leon let go of him and just kept his hands. His eyes on his godfather, he clumsily put one foot in front of the other. Without Leon's steadying hands he probably would've fallen, but so he again managed three small steps before Leon caught him and flung him through the air, laughing with pride. "Did you see that, D? Did you see what he did? Oh man, Jill's not gonna believe it!"

"Here, give him to me!" The kami extended his hands impatiently and took the boy from Leon's arms, kneeling down on the floor. "Jamie, did you really learn to walk today?"

"Not all on his own, but he's barely eight months old, D. You can't ask that much of him yet," Leon protested, still beaming. The kami's attention was fixed on the child as he carefully coaxed Jamie to repeat his steps. Then he, too, squealed with joy. "Oh Jamie, that's wonderful! You are such a talented boy, come here, oh my little-!"

Leon put a hand on D's shoulder, chuckling. "Don't suffocate him, he only learned to make a few steps," he placated, but his face belied his words. His words didn't get through to D anyway, it seemed, he was far too busy lavishing Jamie with kisses and praises. "One could think he's your own child," the human teased, smiling down on them with affection.

D let go off the boy and smiled back up, eyes mischievous. "Well, in some sense he is, isn't he? After all, the father of my baby is his godfather."

Leon slumped down beside him and laughed heartily. "I don't think any judge in the world would claim that legal relation, but whatever. What matters is what you think."

"Very true," D agreed and cuddled James again. The boy blinked, obviously astounded by the sudden attention he was getting. "Oh you little dear, if only your mother could be here to have seen that."

"She's gonna come soon and then you'll have something to show her. She'll be happy, huh?"

D bit his lip, then he lost the fight and giggled. "Yes, at first. Just wait until he learns how to use his newly gained skills. Better get everything out of reach for him," he advised.

And promptly cuddled Jamie again. Leon shook his head in amusement. "Hey, don't eat'm up. I know he's cute and all, but don't you have to get back to your customers?" he asked. D looked at him from beneath lowered lashes.

"You just want to have him to yourself to practice with him," he accused his friend, then smiled. "Well, but you are right. But don't you dare show Jill before I am present!"

"Of course not!" Leon protested and received a last happy smile before D disappeared again into the shop. Turning back to Jamie, he nudged the boy's nose with his own. "Okay, you've earned some prize. Whaddya want? Shall I read you a book? Play with you?" he wanted to know. Jamie just laughed and gurgled, waving his little hands wildly. Leon smiled and, closing his eyes, embraced the kid again.

* * *

"I can't believe I missed this!" Jill looked both delighted and heart-broken, which was a very strange combination, especially because she was cuddling her little boy half to death at the same time. Leon, leaning against the counter, grinned.

"Well, that's the price you've gotta pay as a working mum, Jill," he remarked, then ducked his head under the hurt glance she sent him. "I'm sorry, but would you really prefer sitting home with him the whole day? I mean, it's not like he really learned to walk, you know. You've still got the chance to be present then."

That seemed to calm her. She kissed Jamie again, looking at him with loving eyes. "My baby… Leon, do you have any idea how weird 'my baby' sounds?"

"I do," he replied and caught a movement out of the corner of his eyes. Glancing to the door, he saw Ten-chan standing there, half-hidden behind the door. His eyes were fixed on Jill, and the expression on his face was…

"Well, I'm gonna pick up Jamie's stuff." Jill let go of her boy, who immediately returned to the pot he'd been playing with. Leon had decided not to investigate how and where he'd come across that toy.

"I'll help you!" The nine-tailed fox jumped out from behind the door, startling Jill, who had just stood up. "My god!" she breathed, then smiled at him. "Oh, you're still here? I didn't know that D…"

"Ten-chan's kind of an all-year guest," Leon cut in. D had told him about the shapeshifter – had also told him that Jill saw Ten-chan as a real human, due to the shape-shift. Leon felt weird about treating the fox like a human when other humans were present as well. Especially Jill.

They left, Jill still with a slightly surprised face, and he knelt down to James. "Hey boy, what's the matter with that pot? Do you really think it's that interesting? I mean, it's just a pot, you know? We could do something much more fun."

Jamie looked at him, tilting his head to the side, and gurgled. Leon smiled and took him up, then stood. "Looky here, Jamie. This is up-" he lifted the boy over his head, "- and this is down-" he knelt down again, touching Jamie's feet to the floor. "This is stand-" he held him completely still, "- and this is round."

The boy started laughing when Leon quickly turned around with him on his arms, and fastened his little hands in his T-shirt. The man smiled and continued, placing a hand over the baby's eyes. "This is dark and this is light, you're my darling baby, right?"

At the last word, he threw Jamie up in the air, making the boy squeal with joy, and caught him again to swing him around until he sat on his hip. "Again?"

Jamie laughed, his blue-grey eyes sparkling. Leon winked. "Alright, buddy. One more round."

"That has to be one of the most stupid nursery rhymes I ever heard," a voice remarked from the door. Leon didn't let himself be disturbed by D's comment, he went through the whole thing again with Jamie, making the boy laugh even more.

"I don't care, he thinks it's funny, so it's okay," he answered. D came fully inside and took Jamie from Leon's arms.

"I know a much better one," he triumphed and promptly started showing Leon what he meant.

Pity it was Chinese and Leon not able to understand one word.

They were in the middle of a spirited debate when Jill came in, stopped and grinned broadly. "Hey, guys, you do remember that this is my kid, don't you? You've got one yourself, or, if you're not happy with that, make a new one," she joked.

Both Leon and D stopped dead, only James continued laughing. They looked at the boy, half on Leon's, half on D's arms, at each other and then again at Jill and Ten-chan, who both were shaking with laughter. "Gotcha!" the fox cried, delighted. "Strike, Jill, that was wonderful!"

She bowed in his direction, beaming, before she went to rescue her baby and left the shop, still laughing. Leon, Ten-chan and D accompanied her to the door. "And we were just discussing nursery rhymes," Leon said, half to himself, half to D, who nodded furiously in agreement.

Ten-chan looked between them and, for some unexplainable reason, started to laugh.

* * *

It wasn't long after that that Leon began talking about a child. Not that he actually suggested having one, let alone get together with D again. He just started talking about what-ifs, and D went with him, hurting inside and not knowing if he should go there again.

Leon usually started after Dana and Chris were in bed, when D was still sitting in the parlour, doing his paperwork, with something like "You know, if we'd had a fight before you had Dana – I mean, if we'd been a couple and you'd've known you're pregnant, what would you've done?"

It was unlike Leon to ask such questions, but D knew that the human had changed his attitude by now. He'd become more careful, more attentive to the fact that rushing in could result in problems. So he usually sighed, put aside his brush and ordered Tetsu to make a new pot of strong black tea. Then he answered, something like, "Well, you surely wouldn't have wanted to aggravate your pregnant boyfriend like that, Leon, would you?"

Leon would bluster for a moment, then close his mouth and think. "Probably not," he'd agree. "But still, it might have happened. Would you still have left?"

"I'd have taken you along, gagged and blindfolded if necessary. I might even have used your own handcuffs to tie you up," would be one of D's answers. He could make Leon smile with those, but he would grow earnest again soon enough.

"No, truly, D. What if we'd been a couple all along and then broke up after Dana's birth?"

T-chan usually had tea ready by then and D would take his time to sip, although he knew the answer perfectly well. "I probably would have left a forwarding address," he would tell the human, who'd nod and look at him intently. "Or perhaps, depending on the reason for our fight, I might even have left Dana with you to raise her."

"You never would've done that," Leon would reply then, smiling at him warmly. "You'd've been too afraid I might teach her how to curse."

Then D would lower his eyes, too, smiling at his teacup, and turn back to his paperwork, and soon after Leon would say goodnight and go to bed, and neither would mention that his question hadn't been about Dana at all.

* * *

Another evening Leon would ask about D's feelings for his mate. Something along the lines of, "You know, if you'd get another lover and you'd break up with him, too, would there be any way to prevent this whole chaos?"

And D would think about it once more, keeping his eyes on his paperwork and finally answer, "No." Because he didn't think there would be any way other than the one they'd already walked and to which he didn't particularly want to return.

Leon would be silent for a long while and then ask, "But you don't have to not-kill them anymore, wasn't that the problem?"

And D would answer that yes, that had been the greatest, but that he still would feel obliged to defend his lover and consequently might hurt someone quite by accident. Because he couldn't lie about that either. He had buried Leon in his mind and heart; if he resurrected him, everything might start anew. He wouldn't mind the human victims. But Leon most assuredly would.

Sometimes he thought that maybe he still hadn't let the human go, but then, nothing had happened since their return; if he felt aggressions, they vanished again after a day at the most, or when the customer had been punished. He wasn't sure if he'd really overcome everything, but he knew that he felt even better than he'd felt back when he'd lived in LA only with Chris and Leon.

That had to be enough.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm sorry for not updating on tuesday; I had to learn for exams and completely forgot about it ^^' Please forgive me, everyone...

anonymous: Yes, he kinda is cheating - however, it's really not Mrs. Shao's affair and she... well... let's wait and see, shall we? You know, there's a solution for almost every problem, at least in fiction.  
Well, I think that after this chapter the baby steps aren't really necessary anymore - feeling better about the dating thing now? ;-) Thanks very much, Enaty


	19. Kiss Me, Count!

**Kiss Me, Count**

"It is a present and you will go with me!" D was firm and Leon knew he wouldn't be able to wriggle his way out of it. Still he glared at the tickets, sporting the plays title all over the front: _Kiss me, Kate!_

"Yeah, 'cause we had so much fun last time we went to the theatre," he grumped and saw D flinching slightly.

"There will be no such incident this time," he replied firmly. "It is a whole different play and it is time for us to turn up in public again, as a couple. At least if you still want to go through with this masquerade."

The human sighed and snatched one of the tickets. "No tux this time!"

"Then take the suit you wore for Jamie's christening," D called after him as he went off to his rooms.

* * *

But they both knew that they were uncomfortable being in this theatre again. D didn't seem to have much fun chatting with some high society women before performance and Leon anyway tried to become invisible. He could almost feel the scratches from the first time itching on his cheek, although they'd long since healed.

But to his relief, the play already started differently than the last. Leon couldn't help the snort as all three of the suitors gathered around Bianca and started wooing her. They sounded far too much like sheep baaing to a potential mate.

D looked at him, his brow wrinkled, so Leon leaned over and told him his thoughts. "Ma-a-a-a-a-arry me-e-e-e!" he whispered and, much to his surprise, the kami dissolved in helpless, silent laughter. Closing his eyes, his body trembled as he chuckled, and he failed to look at the stage, where Kate now turned up to interrupt the cheerful dance. Leon grinned and elbowed him. "Hey, we haven't paid the money for nothing. At least look at the stage," he added.

"_We_ haven't paid any money at all," D protested, still laughing and half choking on the words, but he managed to pull himself together and watch the play again. Leon would've liked to make a few other comments, but he wasn't sure if D, who was soon lost in it again, would've taken that without at least a little reprimand for him, and he didn't need those now.

When the lights went on for the pause, D looked at Leon and – _ah well, that was to be expected_ – produced a fan from somewhere. "And now? Do you feel up to confronting the high society of today evening?" he asked. Leon looked down on his clothes. "You look perfectly fine. I can do all the talking, you will just have to stand beside me. And I believe I saw Yi Jonas somewhere in that theatre…"

"Oh well, let's give it a shot," Leon murmured. "Can't hurt, can it?" D again smiled and they emerged from their little cabin to the lobby. As was to be expected as well, D was at once surrounded by at least five people, whom he all seemed to know and greeted with a friendly fake smile. The introductions were short, since everybody was much more focused on the Count than Leon and he stood by, for once content to be ignored, listening to the smalltalk they were doing.

"Oh, dear Count, but we have missed your company at the Smith's ball last week. Even Mrs. Suttler was present, and she was quite disappointed that you had to decline."

"I am so sorry to disappoint Mrs. Suttler, but unfortunately, my little daughter was ill that evening and I could not leave her alone," D replied swiftly, while Leon hid his smirk behind a glass of wine and kept in mind to later point out to D that so far Dana had never been really ill – which was a blessing, since that would've come in really unhandy.

"But now she's alright again, is she not? Because, you know, I'm having a nice party in three days – nothing special, just fifty or so guests, and if you could spare the time, …" The woman droned on, eyed enviously by the other three in their round. Leon took another sip of his wine, quietly muttering "Ma-a-a-arry me-e-e!" into it.

D suddenly coughed and flipped his fan open, his eyes darting to Leon, dancing and laughing behind the protecting fan. While the women's view was obstructed by it, D's mouth formed a few words. _You are unbelievably brazen, my Dear Detective._

But he didn't look like he minded at all.

* * *

In fact, he spent some minutes laughing at that comment when they returned to their seats for the second half. Leon smiled, liking the feeling that he could make D laugh, although a certain restlessness had taken hold of him. It was not quite jealousy of those women – no, it was just that he'd noticed that he again shuffled closer to D than was necessary to pretend that they were a couple, and that D didn't do anything about it, as he'd usually do…

Because Leon wasn't dumb. He knew that D knew where the questions he'd been asking lately could lead to and he'd also noticed that the kami wasn't exactly overjoyed by the direction he was heading in. It wasn't as if Leon was sure he wanted to go there again, but he just – kind of had to try out what D's reactions would be…

D finally gave up on being the cold Count when the mobsters started explaining the values of Shakespearean quotes in the wooing of women. He leaned back in his seat, trying unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter. Leon, however, was not willing to let him do so; it had been far too long since D had laughed so freely. "Ma-a-a-arry me-e-e!" he baaed into one gangster singing "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" at the top of his lungs. The kami buried his face in his hands and his whole body shook with laughter.

"At least recite some Shakespeare now!" he gasped. Leon wrinkled his brow and taxed his head. He'd never been all that crazy for classical poetry, much less Shakespeare, but there was one sentence…

"But look, what light through yonder window breaks?" he offered, which was about the only quote from Romeo & Juliet he remembered. D squeaked, truly _squeaked_, and slipped down in his chair to escape the view of the other visitors, some of which where looking up to their balcony with quite some interest. "Hey, D, get up from there, really, what are people gonna think? You could be doing all kinds of bad stuff now that you're…" Leon could feel the heat spreading in his whole body, and his breath staggered for a moment. "D, please tell me you're not in heat again," he pleaded, not knowing if he should be desperate or amused.

The kami looked up from his place nearly on the floor and gave a laconic "Too late."

And that was it. They couldn't even concentrate on the play anymore, because they both started giggling like teenaged girls at every remark without being able to stop it.

Both were actually glad when they could leave the theatre, in a much better mood than last time. Leon was even laughing still, and D felt obliged to elbow him, just so he stopped laughing during their way through the lobby. Not that he really minded Leon being in such a good mood, but he didn't want all those snobs to gawk at him.

"I truly liked this one," the blonde confessed on their stroll back to the pet shop. "We can go to a comedy again if you like."

"Let's see if there is another here soon," D answered and politely greeted some Chinese citizens. They managed to smile and frown at him at the same time, but D was way past being angry at such nonsense. And especially at the moment, he didn't care about their frowns at all, though he was beginning to be slightly worried by the nearness with which Leon was walking to him.

"We could also go to the movies," Leon suggested and hummed a few tunes of "Bianca". D chuckled as he stepped down the stairs to the pet shop. "You gonna kill me for singing that to Dana?"

"Not as long as you stay with _Bianca_," D said. "I'm not so sure about the rest, but that one is allowed."

Leon was at his back, waiting for him to open the door. "So tonight just recite to your matie, kiss me Kate, kiss me Kate, kiss me Katie," he sang softly.

The key stopped in the lock for a split second.

Then D opened the door and stepped inside. "Hello Ten-chan. Were there any problems?"

The fox looked up from the book he was reading and grinned. "No, Count, none at all. Dana-chan went to sleep two hours ago, and Chris was in bed an hour later, with T-chan though, but I think they both went to sleep twenty minutes ago. Did you have a nice evening? I heard the play's quite good."

"It is," D asserted and placed his shawl over his chair. "You should go see it, if you have the time."

Ten-chan yawned. "Perhaps I will. What 'bout you, Leon? Did you like it?"

"Yeah, 'twas good," the human replied, sitting down on the sofa. "D, you want a cup of tea still?"

"Aren't you tired?" the kami asked, surprised. It was already quite late and Leon did have to work tomorrow, although only in the afternoon.

"Don't think so." Leon leaned back and looked at the ceiling. Ten-chan's gaze wandered from one to the other, and the beginning of understanding showed on his face.

However, even if they'd had a lot of fun tonight, D was quite positive that he should put a stop to this here, while they were still… okay. No point in ruining a nice evening with what might emerge if they stayed in the parlour for too long.

Turning around to tell him that, he found that Leon had sat up again. Their gazes met and for a second, the emotions on Leon's face changed so fast D couldn't pinpoint what he was feeling. Then the human stood, smiled crookedly and tore his eyes off the kami's face. "Well, you're probably right. Should go and get some sleep. Sleep well."

"Goodnight," D replied, then called after the human before he could stop himself. "And – thank you. It was truly nice tonight." Leon smiled back at him and then vanished into the depths of the shop. D sighed softly, placed a hand on his belly, right over the point where he could feel the desire kindling. Not good.

A thump behind his back made him look at the fox, who had buried his face in the cushions of the sofa. "You are _such_ idiots!" he groaned. D opened his mouth to reply, found that he was blushing unstoppably and quickly fled the parlour.

* * *

They both did their best to ignore it during the next day, but by the beginning of the next week it had grown worse. In fact, by trying to ignore the constant longing and attraction they only managed to make all pets, even the dumbest, notice that something wasn't like it was supposed to be. Chris and Dana both remarked, on different occasions, that they were unusually jumpy and the boy even blushed when telling Leon that it was weird to see him stumble backwards only because D had turned around.

Leon agreed with his brother there, but he found that he couldn't do anything against it. The first few seconds when D looked at him, before the kami managed to get a hold of himself, made the blood boil in his veins. Once or twice he really had to flee the parlour, although he'd just been playing with the children, so that neither Chris nor Dana could notice how hard he'd suddenly become. It didn't make it any better; the relief was short and once he returned, D sent him another look, one that spoke of guilt but also desire. In those moments Leon was truly grateful that a guy's stamina had its limits. Otherwise – he didn't really want to think about that.

On the third day, however, he stopped caring about all of that, stopped holding back and just went with the flow. He grinned when Ten-chan spat out his tea at a particular bad pick-up line and was glad that D was so furious afterwards that the tension was released in a loud quarrel, at the end of which half of the pets were munching popcorn Tetsu had quickly prepared while they were screaming. Not even Dana and Chris were disturbed by this fight; in fact, they both looked relieved that the tension was gone.

But, like everything else Leon employed to keep the desire in check, that only worked for some time. And when the evening rolled in, he could feel it again, pulsing in his body like a second heart, whispering to the carnal instincts hidden beneath the human surface.

Determinedly he gritted his teeth and brought Dana to bed. It was either fate or someone else – with a certain amount of probability Ten-chan – who willed it thus that when Dana was bathed and ready for bed, she missed Lucky and told him that the last time she'd seen him had been in Bàbà's bedroom on his bed.

Leon closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath and went over to the door that connected Dana's to D's room.

"Hey D, you seen Lucky anywhere?"

Leon didn't wait for the kami to respond to him, he just opened the door and came inside, looking for Dana's plushie and pretending not to look at D, who was standing in front of the bed naked, his nightshirt in hand.

"No, I haven't seen him, Leon, and besides, if I am to knock at your door and wait for admittance, I expect you to do the same."

"Sorry, but we've got an emergency here, Dana needs Lucky to sleep," Leon said and grinned at him, losing the fight and taking in the sight. "Besides, what have you got that I haven't already seen?"

He got down on his knees right in front of D who froze for a moment, but Leon just reached under the bed and produced the plush penguin from there. "Got it. Dana, I found Lucky! Go to bed now, will you?" he called and dashed out of D's bedroom, more or less slamming the door behind him.

For a moment an amused smiled played around D's lips, then he frowned and sighed slightly. He knew where Leon was going with his actions. And he wasn't sure he approved of the human's way of action.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey, looka here, everybody! I made it on tuesday! I'm so proud of myself... xD

anonymous: Braver, or simply more stupid. I'm having a hard time deciding which it is, actually. But yes, you're right - and they're doing exacty the same, too.  
Well, more or less... and seeing what happened the last time when they DIDN'T talk about the hypotheticals before, perhaps it's better that way... just wait what's there to come yet, kay? ;-) I promise this story is far from being finished.


	20. Can I Ask You Something?

**Can I Ask You Something?**

Waking at the break of dawn was not unusual anymore for D; since Dana's birth, he had turned into an early riser, although he still liked to sleep in. But now, it was not his child who had woken him, neither was it something in the shop. No, it was something else.

For a moment he lay unmoving in his bed before he noticed what exactly it was: the desire was gone. His body was back to normal, his hormones and pheromones weren't in uproar. Everything was quiet now and it felt – weird.

A deep, shuddering breath came from within his chest as D pressed himself deeper into the cushions and stared at the tree over his head. It wasn't pleasant to be in heat; his clothes were sticky almost all the time, especially when Leon was near. He had fought against it as well as he knew how, but there was a certain thrill to the whole affair also, one he knew Leon also felt. It took strength to resist the desire, and willpower, but the adrenaline that pulsed in one's body was quite an experience. As was the tug one felt all the time, the invisible power that forced one closer to the forbidden source of desire, although one knew it was wrong…

With a small smile he realised that he knew that feeling very well, from the times of his first stay in Los Angeles. Every once in a while he had felt it on some level, sometimes more, sometimes less, and it had always been the cause for yet another fight or adventure, another action that strengthened the bond between him and Leon. Unwelcome as it had been, the rush of adrenaline had been something to remember at night, when he finally was alone in his room, his bed…

Dana was the direct result of such a week.

D stayed in bed another moment; then he stood and went over to the door of his child, stepping into the dark room quietly and kneeling down beside her bed. She was asleep, the bandaged arm lying on her pillow beside her head. In sleep she always looked like a peaceful angel, the small face yet baby-round, but showing her individual features already.

He extended one hand and threaded the fingers through the fine, dark brown hair, using his fingernails to comb it lovingly. Dana's hair was as fine and silky as his own, although the colour would never be black. Leon's and his genes mixed there and compromised with dark brown. They also were responsible for Dana's eyes being almond-shaped instead of being round like Chris's. Her nose was small and had a slight tendency to point upwards. But her cheeks showed the fullness of a child well fed.

One day all this would change, probably; D couldn't foresee what would become of his child…

The door was opened without warning and he startled. "Hey. Whatcha doing here?" Leon whispered, obviously astounded at meeting him here. D calmed his racing heart and smiled at him; he had forgotten that Leon had an early shift today and always checked in on the children before he left.

"Nothing of importance," he answered and bent to kiss Dana's cheek. "I'm just wondering what will become of her one day…"

"Ya…" Leon came closer and petted the girl's hair, too, before he looked at D. "Hopefully not some bitter old woman who hates everybody, including herself."

D's fingers played with Dana's hair. "No," he replied, his voice sure and steady. "Not she."

The human chuckled quietly, then looked at the bandaged arm. "Hey, you think it's alright again? I'm just saying, she's not too happy about that thing."

He considered the question and then nodded. "Yes, you are right. When you come home tonight, we will try to take it off."

Leon smiled at him wordlessly, bent and kissed Dana, too. The girl sighed in sleep and snuggled closer to D's hand. He stayed beside her bed long after Leon had gone to work and looked at their child, lost in thoughts.

* * *

"Kanan, you're awake?"

The sound of scales scraping over the floor could be heard as the dragon unfurled herself and looked at Leon, all three heads still sleepy. "What's the matter? It's early!" Kanan groused.

"Yeah, I know." Leon came inside and fiddled with his hands, catching Shuko's attention. A smile flitted over her face. "Oh, you finally realised it! My goodness, it has taken you a long time," she said.

Leon glared at her. "You know, it's not that I want it. It's just that I wanna know, what if…"

"Ah, what-ifs!" Shuko smiled at the ceiling. "Pretty and beautiful and so safe."

He guessed that they both were talking about the same thing, so he came to the point straight away. "I've broken his heart once already. And I know it was more'n hard for him. I know, Shuko. You remember the scratches I got for that play?"

"A broken heart is better than a broken soul," Shuko replied. "Stop fantasising so much, Leon. The fact that he indeed reacted so strongly doesn't imply that he is going to do the same. Or ever was, for that matter. Count D is no unschooled, orphaned Vietnamese girl without a future, and neither likely to act like a character in a play. Don't you worry about that."

Leon looked at the floor. "But that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been such an idiot last year."

"Well, you cannot expect to restart from zero," Shuko said, sounding a little snobbish. "You and the Count have a history, there is no denying or forgetting that; it is impossible. You will always encounter situations which remind you of others, the bad as well as the good times. Not only when you go to the theatre, but also in life. If you want to avoid those, you will have to lock yourself up in your room and stay there forever, without watching TV or listening to the radio; you won't even be able to listen to your CDs since songs bear memories, too."

"At least if no one butts you on the head and you get amnesia," Kanan put it. She seemed to be bored by the whole conversation, but Leon could see that she was very uncomfortable.

"Hey Kanan, c'mere," he said, and she bit her lip, but came willingly, snuggling against him. "Whaddya say?"

Kanan shrugged, staring at her lap. "Dunno. It's your decision."

"But you're my daughter," Leon pointed out.

"Dana's much more your daughter than I am."

"Dana's yet too young to understand what's going on."

Kanan huddled her head into his shoulder. "I don't want to have the same again," she mumbled. "I don't want that again."

"Me neither," Leon replied quietly. "Only that I've got to make a decision. For D or not for D, but I can't go on like this. It gets worse every time he's in heat and the day's gonna come when I can't stand it anymore."

Kanan sighed. "You know, that Jonas guy was right. Gods and humans are only trouble. I mean, you don't really have a choice, do you? He's your mate, and his determination there is stronger than anything you can put up to defend yourself. If you decide against him, you'll have to leave the shop and us. If you stay, chances are it's gonna fuck up again."

"Yeah, I know," Leon said softly. "But I did want to return to the shop. I feel good when I'm with D, at least at the moment." He stopped for a moment, then continued slowly. "I don't know how to explain that, but as long as I'm around him, I feel like my life makes sense, somehow. That I'm not just one of six billion humans on this fucking planet, but actually me, and that I can effect some change, just by talking to him. By not sharing his opinion, and – and by fighting with him, even."

"You two do have a connection none of us understands," Kanan said, sounding resigned. "Even if you leave, Father, I think you'll come back one day or the other. You just can't leave his mystery alone."

Leon had to chuckle at that. She was right, and he knew that they'd have to deal with the same problems over and over again. But he couldn't imagine living without them anymore. To be parted from his family was unthinkable.

So he went and told D that.

* * *

"Where's the blockhead?" Tetsu asked.

"Talking to his daughters," Ten-chan answered and yawned. Then he propped himself up on his elbows and looked at D at his secretary, doing his paperwork. "You know what he's going at with all that, don't you?" he asked, his gaze intent. "The questions about your mate, what if Dana had been born as your child…"

The young kami sighed, stared at the papers for another second before he pushed them aside and then tiredly rubbed his forehead. "Yes, of course," he said bitterly. "How could I not? My body cries for him, day and night, even when I am not in heat. And it is wrong." He looked flustered and angry alike.

Tetsu yawned, too, and went to lounge on the loveseat beside his friend, obviously not much disturbed by his master's problems. "And why so, Count? Sometimes you're just as complicated as him. Mates are mates and will be mates, no matter what. Where's the problem with acting upon that?"

"The problem is that my mate is dead," D snapped, appalled at the easiness with which his pets were treating this. "My body is playing Leon, and everything he does is due to that."

Tetsu and Ten-chan startled him by starting to laugh. "You really think that, Count? He may be human, and he's of course influenced by your body, but you of all people should know that biology is what makes a great deal of love. If chemistry's wrong, forget it," the fox said, bemused. "You tell him that the human's not better than any animal, but you accuse him of that at the same time? You knew you couldn't ask the same things of him as you could ask of one of your race."

"He's right," Tetsu agreed before D could get a word in. "You two've created quite the chaos before you got that, but I think at least he's realised what it means to be your lover. I think he's got a pretty good idea now what he's dealing with."

"You speaking in his favour should make me suspicious, shouldn't it?" D said tiredly and sat down again, sighing once more. "I have caused him so much trouble already. I don't want to cause even more."

"As if he hadn't done his share to cause the trouble in the first place," Tetsu remarked dryly. "You were both young and stupid, expecting something like this to work at once. Sometimes it just can't, and then you've gotta try again."

His master favoured him with almost a glare. "His life is much shorter than mine. He does not have the time to make mistakes."

"But it's not your job to keep him from making his own mistakes," Ten-chan argued. "Truly, Count. Your race might be different there also, and may be wise by birth, but you're not Leon's nanny and he's fully able to think and decide for himself, and doesn't care for biology. He's not dumb, he knows that he's influenced by it. What've you got to lose?"

"A dear friend," D answered quietly. "Either because we drift apart yet again; but ultimately when he dies."

Tetsu and Ten-chan exchanged a glance; then the totetsu stood up and placed his hands on D's shoulders. "And you really want to waste your chances in fear of a possible future?" he asked. D stared at the wall and the picture there.

"No," he whispered. "No, I don't."

Tetsu had opened his mouth to take the same line. But another voice did the job for him.

"It's nice to hear that at least some of your pets are able to talk some sense into your blockhead." Leon carefully closed the door behind himself and pointed with his thumb. "You guys mind leaving us alone?"

T-chan was gone from his master's side faster than a blaze, tugging the fox with him, whose eyes had begun to sparkle with excitement. "Nope. C'mon, Ten-chan, let's have a look at whatever Dana's doing."

They heard them walking down the corridor, arguing in hushed voices. Leon met D's gaze straight on, but then looked at the floor, fiddling with his hands. Suddenly shyness had overcome him. He'd never been in a situation like this before. He'd never even considered getting together with one of his exes again, not counting Sandy, and Sandy was… different anyway.

"Ask yourself if you truly want to ask me that question." D's voice broke through his thoughts and Leon took his heart in his hands and spoke.

"Yeah, I want to ask you that. I've wanted to ask you for weeks. So, if you're okay with it, I want to give us another shot."

* * *

**A/N: **Made it on friday, too! Even if there're only a few minutes of friday left over here... ^^'

anonymous: Glad to hear that :-) I'll try my best to keep you entertained. Well, we'll see next chapter what they're gonna do...

hieiashke: Don't worry. Far from being over ;-)


	21. Repeating a Mistake?

**Repeating a Mistake?**

_"If you're okay with it, I want to give us another shot."_

The words rang through the parlour, causing immediate and absolute silence. Leon looked up at the kami shyly, waiting for his reaction.

D sat as still as a rock, hands clasped in his lap, eyes on Leon's face. Suddenly the human felt not only shy, but insecure to the very core of his being. D had to feel something now, he had to. He couldn't just sit there and stare at Leon with his mask firmly in place, not letting on his thoughts…

"If you don't want, listen, I understand that… I just thought, you know, the whole mate-thing, and I don't really feel all that good with other people, truth be told…" He babbled away without thinking, for some reason frightened by D's silence.

"That is not the problem," D interrupted and stood, went to look at a picture on the wall, showing a rocky landscape. "You are my mate, biologically speaking, and you will be for as long as I live. I think we are both aware of that fact, seeing what happens during my heat every time."

Leon wanted to say something, protest some unsaid fact, but he did not. He had learned that D would tell him in his own time what he needed to know. The kami touched one hand to the mountains on the picture, his eyes still looking at them, but vacant as if he wasn't really seeing them.

"I am – widowed in my mind, Leon. If you want to be with me, if you truly wish to pursue this relationship and do not just speak out of pity for me, then you have to know that it can never be like it was before."

Leon waited. D turned back to him, focusing his gaze. "You do not know what I did those three days in the woods. I never told you."

He expected Leon to reply, so he did. "What did you do?" he asked, heart in his mouth. D's eyes locked on his, dark and sad.

"I buried you."

The words literally threw him off-balance. D watched him struggling for an answer, and Leon recognised the little smirk on his lips for what it was.

"You sadistic bastard, you like giving people the creeps, don't you?" he snapped and let his anger do the talking. "What the fuck does that mean, you buried me?"

D inclined his head to hide his smirk. "I had to, Leon. I came to realise, when I thought about us, that no matter if we broke up with each other or not, I would always try to claim you for my own. I didn't want you to suffer for it any longer, nor did I wish to harm any of my customers before their time. It would not be right for me to cause their fate. So I laid you to rest, along with all my hopes and dreams concerning you and our relationship. There are rituals my people invented to clear their minds of anger and grief. This is the real reason that the pets never went insane when a mate died. It is not possible for humans to do so, but for us, it is. What remains is regret, and memories, and sadness for the lost future, but the love that bound us dies, literally. I thought at first that the biological process would be stopped, too, but as we can see, it didn't. I do not know if that is due to my being degenerated or if it is just this way."

Numbness and anger had ceased again. Leon nodded his understanding. "I'm sorry, D," he whispered and received a sad smile. Now D didn't even try anymore to hide behind his sarcasm. Which meant that they were about to hit rock bottom. Just great. This wasn't going like he'd imagined it would. "So, that basically means that you can never love me again, or what? Although I'm the same person as before?"

"I have come to think that I never loved you in the first place." D sighed and finally sat down in his chair again, looking pensive. "I loved which traits I could accept in you, and I loved the thought of a companion by my side."

Leon couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, so you aren't immune to dreaming either, just admit it. You were in love with my illusion, just like those teenage girls are in love with the stars they see in the media."

D wrinkled his brow at the example, but he still looked content, as if Leon was a pupil who had just answered a question right. "Yes, more or less. Maybe I did love you when I was in Los Angeles, but after I left, it turned to… loving memories and images. Perhaps that was what kept me sane then; I do not know. I have come to realise that I do not know a lot about my own species."

"But then you didn't bury me, you buried my illusion," Leon pointed out, following his train of thought.

"It was nevertheless the illusion I loved and for which I mourn ever since," D reminded him softly.

"So you don't feel anything for me anymore?" Leon searched the kami's unearthly face for the signs he'd come to understand, which told him if D was speaking the truth or not.

"I do still feel something for you, Leon. As I said, you are my biological mate. I feel desire when you are near, the need to touch you and to sleep with you. But that is my body talking, not my heart. My heart looks at you and sees shattered dreams and a love forever lost."

"You're such a sucker for drama, you know that?" Leon commented on D's choice of words and made him smile for a second. "That's all you feel for me? All that's left?" He couldn't start to describe what a hole those words had torn into his heart.

D was silent for a moment, then he shook his head. "No, it's not all. I do – Leon, I trust you. I believe in you, in your strengths and weaknesses. You are the only human who can say that I would willingly put my fate into your hands, because I trust your heart."

The silence lasted for what seemed like an eternity. Then D softly spoke up again.

"It could never be the same again, Leon. I will never again love you as I did."

He met the human's gaze and felt it burn deep into his soul.

Then Leon stood up and strode out of the room. "I have to think about it, D."

* * *

He thought about it, a lot. So much that both Sandy and Jill noticed something was wrong, but he refused to talk to them about it, so finally they left him alone. And they were anyway busy with their own stuff, Jill with Jamie and the case and Sandy with Shao Lin. And yet, he couldn't come up with any decision. He just didn't know what to feel about that.

How could anyone know what to feel about something like this, Leon wondered one evening, gazing at D and Dana, tussling with each other on the floor. The young kami was laughing, his face glowing with joy and pride and love towards his child. If it couldn't be like it had been before – how would it be then? Did he truly want to find it out? Could he stand – would he be able to bear any more of D's secrets, his – his strangeness…

* * *

By the time Dana's third birthday rolled in, he hadn't managed to make a decision, but other than before, he was okay with that. He didn't need to make his decision on the spot; D didn't expect him to, and apart from a few shy glances the kami hadn't even shown any sign that the talk they'd had was still on his mind, busying him as much as Leon.

Like now; Leon could feel D's eyes on his back while he was playing with the children on the beach. Dana and Chris were completely wound up, they were screaming and jumping around him wildly, while he was trying to catch them. They had invented that game themselves; Dana and Chris were butterflies Leon had to catch with the help of a picnic blanket, and that frequently resulted in a lot of chaos.

He felt the eyes resting on them, but refused to meet them, instead concentrating on the game until Chris and Dana grew tired and went back to the water. Leon grabbed the blanket and went up to where D was sitting on another blanket, fanning himself.

"You okay?" he asked quietly, sitting down beside the kami. D smiled at him, not bothering to answer. For some strange reason Leon couldn't even begin to grasp, they'd gotten real good at that non-verbal stuff since they had broken up with each other. But he was okay with that; he only hoped it would stay like this if they should come together again; that meant, if he…

"I called your aunt yesterday," the kami said suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts. Leon started and stared at him.

"Why?" he exclaimed. "Chris is fine, and I talked to her only three days ago."

"I know." D inclined his head. "And it wasn't about Chris. I called her because of Dana and her birthday." His eyes searched the blonde's face. "I thought it would be nice if they could celebrate it with us. Especially for you and Chris, since you haven't seen them for so long."

"You'd put up with Aunt Mary for a whole day?" Leon was baffled. His aunt might have stopped being openly against their relationship, but she'd nevertheless been relieved when she got to know that they had taken a break. At least Leon had told her that, and not that they had broken up for real. Something in him had defied telling her the whole story. She had probably guessed the truth, but at least he hadn't told her.

"Your aunt is a nice woman and she loves you very much, as well as Chris. Since her own situation at the moment isn't too well, I thought she might be happy to have a break." D shaded his eyes against the sun, looking to where Chris, Dana and Philippe were playing in the ocean. "Philippe, not into the deep water! Dana is too small!"

"And what did she say?" the human inquired.

"She said she would think about it and call me back." D looked back at him. "An hour ago she confirmed that she, Samantha and Josie would come visit tomorrow."

* * *

Leon was still not quite able to believe that his aunt had truly consented to come to the pet shop, but when he saw the three women in the arrival hall at the airport, he felt his heart thump hard in his chest for a moment. Strange to think that he'd never cared that much for his family before, but that he still was happy that they'd come now…

"Aunt Mary, hi," he smiled warmly and embraced his aunt, who took a good look at his face and smiled back. "You look good, Leon," she said and stepped aside to let her daughters greet their cousin, too.

"Yeah, you do. How's the Count doing?" Josie elbowed him and grinned mischievously. "I nearly fell off my chair when he called and invited us. Did you drug him?"

"No!" Leon protested and hugged Sam. "It was his idea, I didn't even know you were coming till yesterday. What's that?" He stared at the big parcel Josie had been carrying. She grinned again.

"That's our birthday present for Dana," she said. "And you can carry it, if you want, 'cause it's damn heavy."

"Josie!" Mary reprimanded, but she seemed to be relaxed. "Where is Chris? Is he well?"

Leon patiently answered their questions on the way back to the shop, and then it was superfluous to say anything else, since Chris flung himself at his family and barely left Mary's side even for a second, his blue eyes bright with joy. Catching D's eyes, Leon smiled at him. It had been a good idea to invite them.

Dana thought so, too. "Aunt Mary!" she cried and squealed in joy when Josie presented the parcel to her. Wrapping paper filled the air for a moment before Dana again screamed in joy. "Daddy, look!"

She was oblivious to the fact that both of her fathers actually looked quite horrified, but everybody else started to laugh at their expressions. "A bike, Aunt Mary? How could you?" Leon complained. "It's not as if she's not already wreaking havoc in here without learning how to ride a bike."

D elbowed him. "Thank you very much, Mrs. Johnson," he said politely, but his face also showed doubt and fear for his teacups.

Mary grinned and resembled Leon surprisingly much in that moment. "Well, that bike's been in our family for a long time, so I thought we should give it to the next generation," she explained. "In fact, it was Leon who first got it."

"Oh fuck, it's that bike!"

D turned to Leon's aunt again after taking a good look at Leon's guilty face. "What do I need to know about this bike to ensure the safety of every inhabitant in here?" he asked, not knowing if he should laugh or cry.

"It's very good if you want to ruin flower beds, and it can also be used as a kind of battering ram." Mary smirked. "Leon especially liked the latter."

"Aunt Mary!" Hilarity finally won over and the adults laughed while Chris patiently showed his niece how to ride a bicycle. Then the door opened to admit Jill and Jamie.

"What's this uproar?" she asked curiously, smiling at the Johnsons, then cried out when she saw Dana. "Oh dear, D, go safe your teacups!"

Another storm of laughter followed before they all crowded around Dana and watched her first attempts with a bicycle. She was having a little bit difficulty, since she was apparently pretty small for her age (according to Mary, at least), but when Josie took pity on her and steadied the bike while Dana was pushing the pedals, it worked just fine.

Unnoticed by the others, Leon retreated a little to watch them from a distance. D wasn't completely comfortable with the humans, but he still seemed to be enjoying himself, and he certainly was proud of Dana. Jill had also backed out a bit, she was sitting on the sofa with Jamie, Ten-chan right now sitting down beside her. They exchanged a glance, and Leon noticed to his astonishment that his friend was blushing slightly. Could it be that Jill and Ten-chan…?

The blonde shook off the shiver that went down his spine. Jill didn't know what Ten-chan truly was, and if to her he looked like a cute young man…

It was still weird.

D's eyes came to rest on those two, too, and he smiled secretly for a second before catching Leon's eyes. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged ever so slightly, his face amused. Obviously he didn't see anything weird in Jill taking a liking to Ten-chan. Leon grinned weakly.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Of course Leon took place in what was happening; he was the one who kept Dana from slamming into a cabinet with her new bike, but he was too late to rescue a birdcage and then had to calm his crying child. He ate cake and drank tea and talked to Mary, Josie and Sam, even got to know that Arthur was currently in Chicago, refusing to even talk to Mary and Josie and only talking to Sam on the phone. But at the same time, he was watching himself and those around him from a distance, until evening rushed in and they all left again to either go back home or to the motel in which they had reserved rooms.

Leon was left standing in the door, watching them go away; turning back into the shop, he took in the chaos the little party had caused and sighed deeply. "That bike's gonna be a fuss," he mumbled while he started to gather various items from the floor.

"Nevertheless, it was nice of them to bring it here," D's soft voice broke into his bubble. The blonde looked up and at the kami, who had just entered with a brush and a bucket. "And both Dana and Chris were very happy."

"Yeah. Where're they, anyway?"

"Dana is in bed, and Chris went to Philippe to tell him about the party and bid him goodnight," D answered and placed the bucket beside the sofa, sighing, too. "I made him promise he'll go to bed soon, but I think he will forget the time. I will have to go and look that he doesn't fall asleep in the sand."

"Wouldn't hurt him either," Leon remarked dryly. "Weather's good, he's not gonna get ill."

"No," D agreed. "But he should still sleep in a real bed."

"Let's make a second one."

The brush clattered to the floor. "Excuse me?" D inquired, sounding completely aghast.

But Leon didn't take back what he'd said. "Let's have a kid," he repeated, more slowly, a smile playing around his mouth.

D's reaction was what was to be anticipated. "Leon, what did you drink?"

He smiled lopsidedly. "Nothing. I only want another kid, with you. What about you?"

D shook his head as if to banish a bad dream. "You did drink."

"No, I didn't. I just want another child, with you." It came out impatient, far more impatient than he wanted it to, but Leon suddenly noticed it again – the curves of D's body, the shimmer in his eyes, the soft skin that longed to be touched… and this scent, D's scent, it was calling out to him, setting everything in him on only one aim. He grabbed the kami's hand, making D startle and jerk back, but he didn't let loose. He could feel the heat D's body was producing, even at this range, and he knew if he came closer, he'd be able to…

D stared at Leon, for a long time, and then he averted his gaze. "But I don't want a second child with you," he said quietly, determination in his voice.

The human managed to laugh, although the scent was almost overpowering and choking him. "Fuck this shit, D, you do want a kid with me. I'm not stupid, you know. You never were in heat during the last year, and since we've broken up, you've been like this trice. Your body's telling you what it wants, but you're too stubborn to admit it."

D refused to look at him. "Maybe. But that doesn't mean that I have to give in to my body's desires."

"And why in hell not?" Leon demanded to know, angrily. His head was swimming. D had never been as attractive as he was now, and it was driving him truly insane.

The kami suddenly wrestled his hand out of his. "Because only harm can come out of it," he said and disappeared into his room.

Leon stood there for a moment, blinking in surprise. With D's disappearance, it became easier again to breathe and think. Only that Leon's thoughts, although the kami was gone now, were still the same.

Throwing aside the items he was just holding in his hands, he cursed and went to bang on D's bedroom door. The kami had taken cover in there, he always did. "Open up, you bastard, and give me a real answer! Why don't you want a child? At least tell me what "harm" can come out of it if we have one!"

He ended up screaming his throat raw, waking up Dana and scaring Chris quite a bit, who had never seen his brother in such fury. When he finally calmed down, the door still hadn't given way, there was no sign of D whatsoever and he had to spend the rest of the night telling stories to two wound-up children.

Sometimes he wondered if the little bitch was even worth all the fuss.

* * *

The tension was so thick in the pet shop that Leon almost choked on it. He sat in front of his computer, staring at the screen, but in truth seeing nothing at all. He knew he wouldn't get this report done today, he knew it was completely hopeless. Every once in ten minutes, he managed to will his thoughts away from D, but they returned to the kami down in the parlour all too soon. It was truly annoying, and the worst of it all was that the solution was so easy, if one thought about it. But no, D thought it better not to start a relationship again. He was going to go mad if this continued at the momentary pace.

Growling, Leon stood up and went down the stairs, checked in on Dana and Chris and then continued his way into the front. Halfway there, he met D and a young man in the dark corridor, and at once slipped to the side to let them through. D noticed him, but continued talking to the young man with a soothing voice. "I am sure we will find the right pet for you, Sir, do not worry. Just because it is not here today doesn't mean our shop cannot get a hold of it. Would you be so kind as to return in a few days, then I will be sure to have it ready."

Leon could discern by the looks the young man was giving D that whatever pet the owner would've offered him wouldn't have interested him in the least, and if it would have been one of the cats, naked and in full glory. His attention was fixed on D, the kami being all he was seeing. Tiredly the human rubbed his head. So much to "I don't think other men will be affected". It was just the next sign that this was getting out of control. The last two times D had been in heat, the customers had shown no interest whatsoever in him, but there was no mistaking the situation here.

A quiet chuckle beside him made him jump in surprise. Tetsu grinned at him, baring all sharp teeth. "How right you are, human," he said, his tone mocking. "And if you want something to be done 'bout it, you'll have to do it yourself, since the Count won't do anything."

"Yeah, he's right," Ten-chan chimed in, coming out of the shadows. "He's a blockhead, and he's convinced it's better for you if you're not together. A shame, if you ask me…"

Both animals stopped talking and stared at Leon, who was shifting uncomfortably under their gaze. "And what am I supposed to do?" he muttered. "I can't break D's will, now, can I? If he doesn't want to hook up with me again, that's okay. I can understand why he wouldn't want that."

Ten-chan snorted. "Nonsense. I wonder why neither you nor the Count have realised until now, but with you two, there's not one fucking point in waiting for the right moment. You'll never have your "right moment", and guess why? Because you're human and he's kami. Eat that. No way to change that, no getting around that fact. Just go and make your moment yourself, 'cause if you keep waiting for it, it'll never come. At least not before you two've killed each other by accident."

Leon stared at the fox. "And I was honestly thinking I might let you hook up with Jill," he blurted out. "What kind of asshole are you even?"

"An old asshole, one that's seen too much of the world to believe in the perfect love story anymore," the kitsune replied, undisturbed.

T-chan nodded in agreement. "He's got a point, Leon. You and the Count won't ever have an easy relationship. You can only try and hope for it to work out, and try again. I'm not saying it can't become something good. But even human relationships take a lot of work, so how can you expect this to be easier?"

It made the kind of sense Leon usually hated. Because it more or less left him no choice as to what to do.

Growling, he left them and stomped into the parlour, startling D, who was holding a teacup in his cramped hands and staring at the dark liquid in it. "Leon, what-?" he began, but the human cut him off at once.

"Listen, D, we've not got a choice. Not one fucking choice, not if I wanna stay in the shop and near you and Dana. Either you get a second child with me, now, right now, or we've gotta forget it completely."

D's eyes went wide. "What are you saying? Have you gone crazy now?"

"No, I haven't, and I don't care if you think I have. I know what I know, D. I can't stand this anymore. I can't stand not being allowed to touch you when you're like this, and you can't stand not being touched by me either. So just – kick all that stupid mind-stuff in the bucket and give in, for god's sake!"

The kami gripped the delicate China so hard he could almost hear it crack. "No."

This fucking, three-times-damned blockhead! Leon lost it and shook D, feeling frustratingly like back in the old days when he'd not been able to reach the untouchable kami and the defences had been well in place. "And why in fucking hell not? Why can't you just start all over again?"

"I explained to you already!" D was showing signs of irritation; soon he'd be shaking Leon back and he knew that wouldn't be too pleasant. D was damn hell strong, after all.

"So what you basically said wasn't that the decision's up to me if I want to put up with all that crap about me being dead in your head, but that you don't want to be my lover again, was it that you said?"

"Yes. No. Leon, I don't know!"

They stared at each other for a moment. Leon carefully released D's garment and the kami righted it, looking shaken. "I don't know," he repeated, more quietly. "I told you that I trust you, but I know myself now. I don't want to make you unhappy."

"Kindly leave that decision up to me," Leon snapped, his patience thin. It was difficult to breathe in a room that was filled with the scent of desire and the one he desired. Talking about such crap now was near impossible, but he tried, for D's sake, to at least not push him down and fuck him before knowing what D thought about that.

D glanced at him. "And why should I do so? You once said it's okay to hold back in order not to harm someone you like. I'm doing just that now."

"C'mon, that's not even half of the truth."

The young kami closed his eyes, sighed, and relented. "No, you're right, it's not. Of course not. The truth is that as much as I want to protect you, I want to protect myself from me. The truth is that although all those events have taken place months ago, I still cannot look at you wholly without pain. The truth is that I want to sleep with you, want to have a child with you, but that I also know the moment I sleep with you I will remember your old self – the one I loved and that was my mate."

Leon managed to cool his... head enough to think clearly. "You're afraid of memories," he said.

D nodded, still keeping his eyes closed. "Yes, of those, and of what you are going to read into this relationship. I do not want to be your lover again, Leon. I was that once, and that time is long gone. I cannot be your lover again or return to where I was back then. It is gone, and you will never be able to accept that."

He had a point, but if everything else was complicated, why should this be any easier?

"Okay, you don't have to be my lover. You just have gotta fuck me," Leon provoked. Usually D would have gone at him for saying something like that, but now he only trembled so hard he was actually shaking, but he kept his eyes determinedly closed.

"Sleep with someone who is not my mate? I cannot do that. "

There was a lump in Leon's throat, adding to all that was making him go crazy right this second. D was such a fucking bitch. "But you said I am still your mate. Biologically speaking."

"Yes," D whispered. "Yes, you are, and that's what makes this impossible. For both of us it would be better if my biological mate had been some idiot from the street, but now we have got to live with it."

"Dammit, D! You're making this far more complicated than it is!" Leon finally exploded. All this girl-shit with D was driving him crazy. "It's just sex, for fuck's sake! What I feel and what I read into it is not your concern, just care about your own needs for once. You want a child, I am willing to make you one, so let's just do it!"

A bitter smile curled the kami's lips. "What a great way to come into this world. Your parents being horny."

"Not better and not worse than many other children were born. I'll at least love my kid, and you know that. Your body knows it's alright, too, so listen to it and act like yourself."

D finally opened his eyes again, staring at Leon hard. "No, I won't, and you won't either. We are not bound to listen to our bodies, we both have a mind that is stronger than they are."

"What kind of shit is this again?" Leon could barely keep his snort low. "And now you're gonna tell me that we can talk about it and work it out, but guess what, D? It's not gonna work. I don't know why and how, but we're just as fucked up as any other couple, and no fucking amount of talking will change anything 'bout that. There're things you can't just "talk away", there're things you've just gotta do, and what we two've gotta do now is fuck each other senseless and make a new kid so that at least some part of this wretched world can go back to normal again."

He hadn't known how fast D could snap.

Leon was thrown against the wall so hard the breath was knocked out of his lungs and then D was upon him, straddling his legs and pinning his hands to the wall. "We are not gonna be a couple again," he hissed. Leon managed a nod and had the sensation of D kissing him hard enough to split his lip.

The blood was licked up by the kami when he drew back for a second. "We are not going to marry."

Leon nodded again. This time the kiss was far softer, although it was still enough to bruise his lip. "You will have to accept that you are dead for me. Dead, dead, dead, and that you will stay dead, no matter what you do."

For one second Leon wondered how he'd gone crazy enough to accept what D was telling him; how he'd gone crazy enough to understand, in a weird, twisted way, what D truly meant with those words, but then he just consented again and received the third kiss.

"This is going to be sex and nothing more, and should you ever dare to read more into it, I swear I am going to throw you out of the shop."

Leon didn't wait for D to kiss him this time; he came of his own accord and captured D's mouth with his own, surprising a gasp out of the kami. And then he had the unbelievable sensation of D making an inhuman sound, something Leon would never be able to quite place until the end of his living days. It wasn't a gasp or a cry, but neither was it a sob, just a sound so deep and hurtful that came from within D's chest that he thought the kami would break out of sheer desperation.

Perhaps it was in that moment that Leon really understood what the "death" of D's mate had meant to the kami. He tried to push the thought aside and kissed D back with wild abandon, not wanting to think about it and face what it meant, but he was sure he would never be able to forget that.

Fortunately D had been right in one aspect: he still was his biological mate, and what Leon called D's "autopilot for sex" went on full power now. He couldn't breathe for a moment; the scent, the feel, everything overwhelmed him, and when he came down from this little trip, their clothes had vanished somehow; well, more correctly, D's beautiful cheongsam lay thrown to the side and Leon's shirt was barely a few strips of fabric still.

D had said he would never love him again. So was this what D called "friendship"? Where was the difference between the biological and the mind mate? Was this just another strange trait Leon would only come to understand when it was already too late?

Leon didn't know if he would ever be able to deal with D's love and what it meant. He knew that D's feelings were nothing like his own, but somehow, in some strange way, right now, they were compatible. D's body was telling him that it was okay to have a baby now, otherwise it wouldn't go into heat so often, that much Leon had understood. If they couldn't trust their feelings anymore, who could they trust then?

The doubts, everything was swept from his mind as he devoted himself to kissing D, tasting him, crushing him to his chest. The kami willingly complied, and it was amazing, truly, how quickly it came back, all of it, the attraction, the…

"Holy shit, D!" Leon groaned as the inhuman being ripped his jeans off him and immediately proceeded to lavish him with kisses and touches. "Dontcha think we should at least go to some room other than this…?"

"Why should we?" D murmured, his nails leaving a long scratch on Leon's thigh, making him hiss in pain. "Wouldn't that be too boring for you?"

Leon's gasp cut short any answer he might have given, but D took pity on him, stood up again and tugged him along into the dim jungle-bedroom that was his now, dragged him into the bed almost roughly and got on with what he had been doing.

It was the first time Leon wasn't somehow in control of what was happening. It was D who directed him, D who roughly shoved and pushed and tugged his hands to the places he wanted them to be, D who lowered himself down on him and D who dictated the rhythm.

Not that Leon would ever complain about that. He had enough to do with just remembering to breathe while he helplessly pounded into D, knowing he'd go crazy if this went on for too long. He ground his teeth together when he felt it coming and D pressed himself even closer to him, so close Leon thought he was going to die of lack of air for sure …

His whole body seemed to implode. At the corner of his vision, he heard D making that sound again and without realising what was going on for a moment, Leon was pushed to the side, pushed against the headboard of the bed and lay there, dimly noticing that the warmth he'd felt just a moment ago had been replaced by chilly air now. However, he did still manage to wonder, in his strange state, how it came that sleeping with D was so different to sleeping with someone else – Sandy, Adrianne, one of his other exes. Was it because he was D's mate? But that was a specific trait of D's species, not his own…

Staring at the ceiling – well, actually, the tree was the ceiling of D's bed, which was kind of strange since Leon had been used to the brocade princess bed – he took a deep breath and finally managed to turn his head to D. "Jesus… that was…"

Then he noticed that something wasn't right. D was sitting in front of him, staring at him, and he was – he was –

Had it been anyone but D, Leon would've been hurt at seeing his bed partner cry. He would've searched his memory frantically to find the reason for this, would've thought he was a bad lover, or something like this, but D wasn't looking embarrassed or angry or hurt or any of the other emotions that went with bad sex. He was just sitting there, the tears streaming down his cheeks like two little salty rivers, looking at Leon with grief in his eyes, a grief so deep it broke the human's heart just to look at him.

"D…" he said, reached out for the kami, unsure of what to do, how to react. This was about D's mate, he just knew it. But it wasn't Leon who this was about. At least, not the Leon sitting here in bed right now.

D startled at his touch and his shoulders hunched as he made the first little sound, a quiet sob, still looking at Leon like this, like his sight was hurting him so much he couldn't even find words to express his grief. Like even the sound he'd made wasn't enough.

"God, D, I'm so sorry…" Leon whispered, daring to take D's shoulders and drawing him close to him. The kami came willingly, settled down in his lap, giving in to what was wrenching his heart and sobbing into Leon's shoulder. The human felt helpless. He didn't know how to help D with this. Didn't even know if there was something he could do to help him.

D fastened his claws in Leon's back and he winced a little, since those were sharp and they hurt, but he bore the pain silently, instead concentrated on stroking D's back, whispering soothing little words into his ear he immediately forgot again and holding him close, all in all, trying to show him that he wasn't completely alone; that Leon was, although his image might have died, still here to help D with anything that haunted the kami.

It took a long time for D to calm down again; in fact, he cried himself to sleep that night. Leon tucked the covers tightly around him before settling down beside him and taking him into his arms again, feeling truly horrible for being the reason for D's grief.

* * *

It became better the next time they slept with each other, which was, in fact, the next morning. Leon was roused by the kami stroking him, probably not meaning to arouse him since his hands weren't exactly caressing, more exploring, testing; the result was the same. Afterwards, he sat there again, looking at Leon, but this time he didn't sob into his shoulder, just sat there and cried, and Leon didn't touch him this time, feeling that D was trying to deal with it on his own.

Nevertheless, he felt terribly uncomfortable, and only when D wiped away the tears with a decided hand after five minutes or so and gave him a shaky smile did Leon relax slightly again. Okay, so that wasn't what he'd anticipated either, but hell if anyone could tell what D was going to do the next second.

* * *

Jill asked him about it later at work.

"So what are you now? A couple again?" she asked, out of the blue, looking up from her computer to her best friend, sitting across and looking through a protocol. Leon looked up, too, laid aside the papers and shrugged.

"I have no idea," he confessed. "But whatever we are, it's okay. And that's the whole point about it. That we're okay with what we are."

"Yeah, okay, but D said – he said you asked him for a child. I mean, a child, Leon! You can't have a child with – just anyone."

Leon glared at her. "D's not just anyone, Jill," he almost hissed. "I wouldn't want a kid with just someone, I want one with D. D and no one else."

"You already have a kid with him, and without wanting to say anything against Dana, that definitely wasn't the best of ideas," Jill remarked. She seemed to be stung and angry, though why Leon had no idea. It wasn't like Jill to be like this.

"Dana is different," he replied, knowing how lame that sounded and cursing himself for it. "She's – I dunno. She's just Dana. But I don't want only Dana with D, I want – another child. A baby. With D."

Jill shook her head, and her look made him angry enough to snap. "Listen, if you don't understand that, it's not my problem. What's it with you, anyway? Since when are you so big at definitions? Didn't bother you when you hooked up with Alex that you weren't going steady with him."

"Hey now, I never wanted a kid with him!" she protested and tried to kill him with looks. "Just because you can't make your mind up in the right time… maybe you should've decided that a kid's a good idea a few months ago, that would've spared us all a lot of trouble, and it would've spared D a lot of grief."

"What do you know about D's grief?" Leon snapped back, angered by her accusing tone. "As if it's solely my fault things turned out as they did! D'you think I'd not have wished them to be different? D'you think it's easy for me looking at him crying every damn time we sleep with each other, and not being able to do anything about it? D'you think I _wanted_ that?"

"I didn't say that, I just said you could've decided earlier that you love him! It wasn't necessary to break up with him first."

"We aren't a couple, Jill," Leon protested, and, saying it out loud, he suddenly came to realise that it was true. They were going to have a second child with each other if everything worked out like Leon hoped it would; but they weren't a couple yet again. And he wasn't sure if they would ever be, because even if, it would only be one of them who would see them as a couple, while the other…

"What are you then?" Jill asked impatiently, tapping a biro on the table.

"Friends," Leon said, slowly, letting the word roll over his tongue, almost tasting it. "We're friends."

"Friends." Jill looked pretty suspicious, but Leon knew he had found his answer. At least, the answer that was right at the moment, the one that fitted what they were now, today; tomorrow they could be something else again, more lovers, or more fiends, but today, they were friends. "Listen, I don't expect you to understand; hell if I understand D and me! But that's what we are, at the moment. Friends. We sleep with each other, we're both Dana's parents, we're partners… just friends."

Jill looked at him for another moment, obviously rendered speechless by the madman she was working with. Then she turned back to her papers, shaking her head and looking ever more confused. Leon did the same, and while he worked, he smiled to himself. He liked it. He liked being friends with D.

* * *

**A/N: **Ooookay, here's the new chapter! I'm a nice author - I put it up on tuesday ^^ Ain't I a nice author? Although I kept you hanging a whole weekend? Sorry? ^^' And thanks very much for your comments, dear anonymous & hieiashke :-) Hope I managed to entertain you again...


	22. It's a Question of How To Define It

**It's Really a Question of How To Define It**

He hadn't expected to burst out with his discovery like that, and like a lot of things lately, he stunned both himself and D completely with the words.

"I like being friends with you," he blurted, just like this, over dinner. Dana stopped squabbling with Tetsu and looked at her parents, her brow wrinkled. "What are you talking about, Daddy? You aren't friends with Bàbà," she said, sounding very much like a precocious fourteen-year-old.

D blinked at Leon, then turned to his child. "What are we then, in your opinion?" he asked politely. Dana pointed to Ten-chan, who was leaning against the counter, a mischievous smirk on his lips. "Ten-chan says you're mates. He says that's as good as married."

The fox laughed and ducked under the two glares he received. "Hey, you are married," he grinned. "Call it mate, call it best friend, whatever you want, you two'll never manage to let either one go. Could just as well tell everyone you're married, wouldn't make any difference."

"Ten-chan, you are not entitled to teach Dana such lessons about life." D's voice was very stern, and he looked at the red-faced Leon in worry. "Please, don't listen to him. He can be as bad as Jill if he has set his mind on it…"

"Yeah, I noticed alright." Leon's face was still burning, but he managed to keep calm. "Why's he saying this, anyway?"

D shot the kitsune a nasty glance, making Pon-chan, Tetsu, Dana and him all giggle. "Dear Ten-chan's concepts of marriage and mates are slightly different than those of my species. In fact, they resemble human customs much more. He rather believes that it's possible to love several beings."

"Which is absolutely true, Count," the fox interrupted. "There are very few species in which this is different, and yours doesn't even count wholly, due to the fact that you can have a spiritual and a bodily mate."

Leon favoured D with an amused glance. "Spiritual mate? That's what you call it?"

"It is very rare for us to have two mates, and the spiritual mate can never be replaced by anyone," D replied sharply. Ten-chan obviously didn't agree with him.

"Oh, nonsense. Tell me, Count, what do you really know about your species' mating customs? Only what Q-chan has told and taught you. You really think he told you all? No, he's conveyed a picture of your species as he'd like it to be to you, and you bet that there're some logical mistakes in there. Starting with that mating shit. You don't really believe that you can just bury Leon like this, do you? Well, you can do one thing, bury your spiritual bond to him, which is an easy thing to do, since Leon isn't capable of forming one anyway, so that's one-sided and better for all of us."

Dana looked as confused as she could ever be, so Leon reached over and replaced her onto his lap, hugging her tightly. "Don't worry, sweetie," he told her quietly. "It's gonna be alright. You'll understand once you're older, I promise." Perhaps, if Dana turned out to be like D. If not, chances were good she'd stay as clueless as Leon usually was when her other father was concerned.

Ten-chan smiled at them, a heart-felt, warm smile. "Face it, Count, you may be genetically alike, but that still doesn't mean your genes can't work out differently than those of the others. Plus, your so-called degeneration. I don't even believe it's real degeneration. Maybe some characteristics your species has have indeed vanished in you, but I'd bet anything the old bat just uses that as an excuse to scare you off things you'd like to do."

Now D looked downright scandalised. "Ten-chan, don't you dare talk about Grandfather like that!" he scolded, but the kitsune waved him off.

"Have known him far longer than you're even on this world, it's my damned right to speak my mind about him. Tell you what: he doesn't hate humans as much as he's afraid of them. At least where you're concerned. He's a mother-hen worse than any animal I've ever met, and he wants you out of the way of love and the resulting trouble more'n anything. That's nothing personal, Leon," he added, seeing the human's look. "Really, it ain't. But he knows as well as you do now that Leon can't give you all you need in a relationship, and so he'd rather have you not have one at all than one that won't fulfil all your wishes."

"God, that old freak's a romantic?" Leon blurted, and Pon-chan and Tetsu, who had been trying to fight back their laughter the whole time, almost fell off their chairs. D looked confused, angry and a little bit hurt. Ten-chan, seeing his face, softened and went to place a hand on his shoulder. "You have chosen a mate, Count, and that is Leon. That you were not able to establish the bond to him your species usually has is tragic, especially since it resulted in the deaths of others who weren't involved in this at all, but that's the way it is, and if anyone is responsible, it is your grandfather as much as you two. Now you have broken that bond with the ritual of burying your love, but there's another kind of love that can be felt, that has nothing to do with the love of a kami."

D sat very still, and his face had grown slightly ashen. Tetsu and Pon-chan fell silent again and watched him, slightly worried. Leon took Dana up and indicated the door with his head. "Dana, let's get you ready for bed," he said cheerfully. "I think I'll sing you something by _Aerosmith_ tonight, that okay? Dude looks like a lady?"

"Yeah…" Dana stretched and looked at her other father over her shoulder, also worried. "Bàbà?"

D pulled himself together and smiled at her. "I'm alright, darling, don't you worry," he said. Ten-chan winked at Leon, telling him he would take care of the kami while he took care of their child. So Leon went, answered Dana's questions as good as possible (all the while being glad that Chris was spending the night at his little friend Catherine's pyjama party) and then returned to the kitchen after she was asleep. Ten-chan and D were still sitting in there, the fox slightly embracing the kami. D looked very young and tired, and Leon guessed he could understand him; it had to be hard to finally get told that one couldn't be sure of what the one person one had trusted had told one.

"Some explanation cut short for the stupid human?" he asked once he was inside, and turned a chair around to sit down on it. Ten-chan smiled at him.

"There is no easy explanation if you want a true one," he replied, hugging D. "Especially not here. What I know is that basically the Count's species can have different mates, but that this is indeed very rare, and not likely to apply in this case. The thing with the bond, well, that's likely to be the same as it's with you and Kanan, although why you can have a bond with her, but not with the Count is a mystery to me."

"She is his daughter, and dragons are anyway different to us," D mumbled, moving for the first time since Leon had left the kitchen with Dana. "That is – he created her. Probably it is due to that. You always have a stronger connection to that which you create yourself."

Ten-chan shrugged. "Well, if that explanation works for you, fine with me," he said. "Can't argue there. One thing's for sure and that's that you didn't create Leon, plus he's human. So where should the bond come from?"

"I don't understand this whole bonding-thingy," Leon interrupted their little chat. "What's it about? Do I have to imagine something like Mr. Spock's mind-reading technique or what?"

"No." Ten-chan let go of the Count and spread his hand out. "Look here. It's like a thread, connecting us all. I know it's a silly human cliché that one has to re-connect to nature, but that connection does exist, in all of us. Well, except humans, those have abandoned it long ago. And via this connection with nature, or earth, we all can connect to each other, too, some better, some worse. The Count's species is one blessed with an exceptional gift of bonding, thus it's so important to them to bond with those they like. Doesn't work with humans, unfortunately."

Leon looked at the glittering cobweb-thread in Ten-chan's fingers with fascination. Okay, so far he had understood the fox's explanation.

D moved again and wrinkled his brow. "The connection isn't that thread," he admonished. "It's not visible, and it cannot be made visible either."

Ten-chan laughed softly and patted his head. "Yeah, always wanting people to understand without showing them ways how to understand, aren't we? Let him imagine it like this thread, what harm's in this?"

D glared for a moment, but Leon noticed that he was still leaning against the nine-tailed fox, who now continued his explanation. "Well, so far, so good. Humans can achieve that gift again, with a lot of work, or if they, like Chris, suffer of some trauma. The shop, and especially the shop's incense, aid this re-connection."

"But I can see them in their other forms, too," Leon argued. Ten-chan shook his head. "You can do that because Kanan is helping you. Oh, I won't deny that you might have it in you to reach that on your own, one day, but at the moment, it's Kanan who's looking through your eyes."

"But shouldn't I be able to bond with D then if I can apparently bond with Kanan, too?"

D looked at the floor. Ten-chan sighed and his face took on a serious expression. "Maybe you could have done that, had you reached that bond with nature on your own, and some months ago. But now it's too late. Little Count here was too impatient to get his bond, you were too frightened to realise that all he wanted to do was bond with you, so that's out now, forever. That train's left the station."

"And you just brought that up again to rub it into our faces, or what?" The miserable look on D's face made Leon angry. Even if it was partly his fault, it was Leon's fault as well, and no one had a right to judge their actions.

Ten-chan barely chuckled at his anger. "Who, me? Tell you what, looking at all the relationships I've fucked up in my life – and lemme tell you, that's been long – I can't rub anything into anyone's face, much less yours. I just think you need to understand that some options are closed to you now, but that others have opened up instead. It's not the terrible tragedy you think it is, even if the Count's crying during sex, or attracts every guy within one kilometre to him when he's in heat because that's not wholly focused on you sometimes. Sure, you'll have to take other measures now, and put up with other pains and disappointments, but you were anyway in for them right from the start."

Leon favoured him with a sour look. "Well, thanks so much, Ten-chan, that really sounds encouraging."

The fox ruffled through D's hair lovingly, like an elder brother, and the kami jerked up in reflex, bringing his hands up to protect his hair. "Ten-chan!" he protested.

"You know, why I truly brought that up was because this little stupid here acts like everything between you is wholly biological, and there's no love whatsoever for you somewhere in there. Which isn't true at all, and I thought I'd remind him of that. And now I'll go and leave you to work it out."

They both stared at his retreating back, then turned to look at each other. D was slightly pale, and looking like he was indeed very tired, but Leon didn't feel any better. He'd just been reminded again of the fact that there was so much about D he could never understand, and it did bother him, in a way.

"Is it true what he says?" he finally asked, after nothing came forward. D smiled a little helpless and shrugged.

"Leon, how shall I know? The one time I think I have finally understood how I work, someone tells me something else and everything is in ruins again."

"Welcome to being alive," Leon mumbled, mirroring D's helpless smile. "That's what it feels like for me most of the time, too. I'm just trying to muddle through, as is everyone else."

"And what do you do to be able to live nevertheless?" the kami inquired quietly. Leon shrugged. "Dunno, really. Just – go on. Go on and figure out on the way along. No, actually more like – trusting your guts. I think that's what most people do, although they may call it using their minds."

"Trust what you feel," D murmured, looking pensive. "I'm not much used to trusting my feelings where softer emotions are concerned. At least, not where softer emotions and humans are concerned."

Leon shook his head, his smile turning into a real one. Just listen to D talking. He sounded like he'd never been alive before. "Well, I've told you before. You have to feel something for me, even if that bond didn't work. So what's it?"

D lowered his gaze to the kitchen floor, not wanting to face this again. He had managed to be detached again, like he had been before – well, almost like he had been before, and if he stepped there now, he might just be thrown into the same chaos yet again…

"I am not sure if I feel anything at all. Last time I checked with my heart, I didn't see yours in there," he answered truthfully. Leon blinked, and suddenly the pieces fell in place. "I didn't see the bond with you, because it never existed…"

"D, I'm not going to ask you to explain," Leon said patiently and looked at him. D could feel his eyes burning deep into his soul, almost reaching the door behind which he had locked his love. "But you do like me. I know that much."

"I appreciate your company and rejoice in it. I honour your views of the world and I respect what you are."

Leon's mouth quirked. "Without wanting to sound like a smartass, D, but that's what people call 'love'."

"It is not the kind of love my kin feels, even if Ten-chan says differently," D warned, hesitated. "Well, I – I don't truly know that, but I think that something will always be missing for me… I – Leon, what I feel, why I am sad – that is real for me. Just because it turned out not to be what I thought it was doesn't mean the pain is any less…"

Leon nodded, held his eyes and reached for his hand. "I know," he said. "Believe me, I know. But if that's all you can offer, I'll take it and be happy with it." He squeezed the hand, slim and dangerous in his own. "If you want."

D looked down on their hands and saw the ring there.

Then he squeezed back. He didn't know what he had gotten himself into yet again. But it seemed worth a try.

* * *

Ten-chan laughed softly and was elbowed to the side by his friend. "Dammit, leave some space here for other people to listen," Tetsu whispered and used the keyhole to look through. The nine-tailed fox leaned against the wall and continued chuckling. "What's it with you, anyway? It's not that funny to watch those two trying to make it."

Tetsu sounded pissed, which was no wonder since he had a far stronger attachment to the Count than Ten-chan himself had. But the fox just shook his head and smiled at him. "I'm not laughing at them or their problems. Don't think for a moment that I can't understand how much they hurt, both, but it's like opening up a can of worms, those two. Every time you manage to solve one problem, another turns up, and you'll never be able to catch all of them."

Tetsu straightened again after he had reached the conclusion that he was happy with the developments in the kitchen, although he really hoped they'd soon move out of there before Leon had any funny ideas about using the kitchen table as a make-do bed.

Or before the Count actually conceded to that plan.

"And you think they'll be able to deal with that?" he asked, his golden eyes focusing on his friend. Ten-chan shrugged, looking slightly troubled for a moment.

"What am I, a fortune teller? I don't have the slightest idea if it's going to work this time. I'm just trying to show them ways how they could make it work, if they want it to. They've gotta take care of the rest alone, that's not my job."

"You're pretty intent on playing matchmaker." Tetsu's stare made him shuffle uncomfortably. "Doesn't happen to have anything to do with that pretty Miss Jill you've not been talking about for the last three days… You know, the one with the little boy and the asshole ex-boyfriend…"

Ten-chan never blushed, it just wasn't his style. He usually just became very sarcastic. "And what would I do with a thirty-something single mum? Hello, that's so not my predatory pattern. I'm fond of young, frustrated girls who know nothing of life."

Tetsu regarded his friend with some disgust, mixed with exasperation. "You are a sick bastard sometimes, and you know that, don't you?" he said and Ten-chan had the good grace to look sheepish. Tetsu sighed and gave him a rather hard pat on the back. "Yeah, like I've told Pon-chan last week. You need a real woman to cure you of your bad habits. Lemme tell you a secret: Jill's just the right one for that."

He really liked rendering the talkative kitsune speechless.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, I know, shame on me ^^' It wasn't completely my fault, however, I didn't have my document when I had an internet connection... Sorry...

anonymous: Thank you :-) I don't really know what to answer to your comment - you pretty much pinned down what I kept thinking when I wrote it. So - be proud of yourself? ^^  
And about Sandy - well, now she's been with us for a long, long time, and honestly, seeing that she never really saw herself and Leon as a "couple" in the conventional sense, she perhaps never figured as "danger for D & Leon's relationship" in your book?  
Please do :-) I'll wait for your comments.


	23. Unchangeable Part II: Interlude

**Unchangeable Part II: Interlude**

He had waited so long for this day, so long. The moon was hanging deep in the sky above, shining bright red and promising changes ahead. The man smiled grimly. Oh yes, there would be changes. He would make sure that they would occur. He would return, and everybody would bend to his will like they had before.

But at first, there was something he had to take care off, something that was even more important than winning his status back.

The man's teeth ground together as he remembered the one who had brought him into this despicable situation in the first place. Count D. He would suffer. He would regret he had ever acted against his will, he would regret he had not bent to him like everybody else had done.

And while he was at it, he would also punish the other one, the impertinent American. His spies had told them that now he and the Count were living together in America, raising their child as a couple.

They would not be doing that much longer. He would make sure of that.

**

* * *

A/N: **Umm... did I mention somewhere that this story is actually divided into two large parts? No? Whups. Shame on me twice.

So... yeah... it's got two parts. This is the starting point of Part Two, as you might have noticed. Everybody still on board? Ready to ride? Do you even want to go further?


	24. One Family Again

**One Family Again**

The door was opened quietly. Quick steps were muffled by the soft grass growing in front of the bed. The two inhabitants of said were sleeping and unaware of the approaching danger.

Then, suddenly, the bed erupted in a loud cry, covers and cushions went flying everywhere. Both sleepers jerked up and looked around in wild confusion.

"Daddy! Bàbà! It's morning! Wake up!"

"Dana! Oh god, child, don't do that!" D shrieked and fell back into the cushions with a relieved sigh. Leon caught their mischievous daughter and turned her upside-down, an action which caused the girl to squeak with joy.

"Yeah! Flying Dana!" she cried. The blonde tucked her in between himself and her kami father, who watched them, smiling and snuggled closer again.

"Dana, darling, you know you shouldn't come in here at the break of dawn," he scolded the child gently.

Her blue-golden eyes sparkled. "Why are you naked again?" she asked and Leon snorted.

"Good distraction, babe, but not good enough. D and I need our peace sometimes, especially at the moment."

He smiled into mismatched eyes which smiled back softly. Leon held out his hand and D laid his cheek in it. Dana followed the action with a confused wrinkled brow. "Why are you naked?" she insisted on her question. "I'm not allowed to sleep naked."

Leon thumped his head back into the cushion while D hid his smile. "You explain," the blonde murmured. The kami raised an eyebrow, but settled comfortably, tucking his daughter against him.

"We are naked because your father and I are mates, Dana," he tried to explain. "I have explained to you that animals choose mates, too, with whom they have sex. But sex only works when you are naked. And because it makes very tired, we fell asleep and are still naked."

"If I have sex, can I sleep naked then too?"

Leon choked and went red. D patted his back and bit back his laughter. "Dana, sex is another thing only allowed for grown-ups," he said, bemused. "You know that the animals have babies when they have sex. But only the adult animals."

"Are you going to have a baby then?" Dana inquired with wide eyes, scrutinising her fathers.

Now D couldn't hide his grin anymore. "At least your Daddy hopes that is going to happen."

"D!" Leon hissed and elbowed his lover, who chuckled.

Dana looked at her human father. "Are you going to have a baby too?"

Now the young kami giggled helplessly. "No, Dana, Leon cannot have children. Only I can have children. You know that, darling. Human males don't have babies."

"No, only kami _males_ have babies," Leon asserted and D elbowed him in turn.

Dana couldn't decide at which father to look. "Bàbà, what does Daddy mean?" she inquired.

D sighed. "Don't ask, darling," he said dryly. "Don't ask and be glad you do not understand him yet."

The knock at the door stopped Leon from answering. Chris peeked inside, his cheeks slightly red, speaking proof that he had overheard at least half of the conversation they'd just had. "Dana and I made breakfast. Do you want to come?" he asked, not daring like his little niece to step further inside.

Pon-chan had no such inhibitions. She wriggled through his legs and hopped inside, smiling brightly. "Good morning!" she chirped, seating herself on the bed.

"Hey, Pon-chan!" Chris protested, and, simply not to be the only one standing, he went inside, too, and sat down beside his brother. Tetsu completed the happy family by screaming like a madman and hitting Leon full-on, throwing the human back into the cushions while everyone except D shrieked in either excitement, pain or fear of said.

Finally the cushions, vines and everything else settled down enough to allow a glimpse around the battlefield. Tetsu had seated himself on Leon's legs, grinning at the human quite meanly, Pon-chan was peeking out from behind D's back, who in turn was holding Dana close to his chest. Chris was unsuccessfully tugging at the totetsu to get him down from his brother.

Leon sighed theatrically and thumped his head back into his cushion. "You know, not ten minutes ago D and I were peacefully asleep, enjoying being in bed together, being satisfied and happy. Till you came in," he said. "And now I'm lying in bed with my naked lover, my three-year-old daughter, my little _brother_, a raccoon and a freaky goat-tiger. Only Honlon's missing now."

"I can come cuddle, too," Kanan offered with sparkling eyes and stretched her head in.

While every other inhabitant of the bed started giggling, Leon buried his head in the cushion and groaned. "I hate my life," he mumbled.

D bent over their girl and kissed his shoulder. "No, you don't," he said softly. The blonde grinned up at him. "Alright, perhaps I don't. But now I want everyone out of this room nevertheless, and you to myself, and then we can talk again," he ordered.

General grumbling followed, but the intruders reluctantly left the bed and went back to breakfast. D snuggled into Leon's arms comfortably and enjoyed some more minutes of kissing and cuddling.

"Have you seen the sparkle in his eyes?" he asked, tracing a lazy finger down Leon's arm. The human propped his head up and regarded him with some amusement. "It's hard not to notice. They're even brighter than his cheeks, which is a wonder in itself."

D pinched him. "Don't talk about Chris like that," he admonished. "He is so happy that we are a couple again. Dana, too."

"_Everyone's_ happy about that." Leon sighed and let his head fall back. "And I don't know what we've done to earn that much praise."

"Overcome our differences?" the young kami suggested, his face growing slightly serious. Leon shook his head. "D – we hooked up again the day after Dana's birthday. That was one week ago. One little, small week, seven days, and everyone's acting like we've brought about some wonder."

He touched D's cheek, his eyes growing sad. "And that's just not it. Why do people think we have to be happy? Why are so many other people dependant on us being happy with each other?"

D turned his head away, not wanting to be reminded of the tears cried last night. "I guess because we are special," he replied quietly. "We are – well, living proof that difficult relationships can work. And when we do not work like people want us to, then they lose their hope that the problems they are faced with are solvable."

Leon smiled. "That's a real good explanation. I'm gonna tell that Jill next time she tells me how lucky I'm to have found you." D rose, keeping the sheet around his body and thus depriving Leon of his cover. "Hey!"

"So Jill is unhappy with us being a couple again," he stated. Leon nodded. "Not that she'd say so. She says she's happy for us and all, but when I catch her looking at me, she's sad. On the other hand she's sad if we're not together, too. Can I ever do anything right for that woman?"

D busied himself with putting on his bathrobe and finally handed the sheet back to Leon, who thankfully huddled into it. Not that D's room was cold, but still.

"People have to find their happiness on their own," the kami finally said, looking straight at Leon. "And as much as I want Jill to be happy, I doubt she will be as long as she keeps being angry at herself for Alex Donovan. Will you go have a look at what the children did to the kitchen?"

Leon sighed, but he got up and left D's room to walk into the kitchen bare-footed, where he found the kids quite happily watching Tetsu make scrambled eggs. Ten-chan was here, too, sitting on a counter and dangling his legs, and had just earned a slap from Pon-chan for being a bad example when Leon entered. He caught Dana and got her out of the frying pan's reach.

"Dana, what did I tell you 'bout hotplates and where to stand when Tetsu's cooking?" he admonished, but his voice lacked the sharp edge. Chris blushed again at seeing his brother only clad in boxershorts. "Hey," he said quietly, and now Leon blushed, too. Dana – no problem at all. The pets – annoying, but bearable. Chris – impossible.

"Yeah. I'll go get dressed, and you keep the noise here down," he mumbled, already planning his retreat when the telephone rang. Everybody froze and stared.

"Who's calling now?" Tetsu asked, but Chris and Dana were already running to get the phone, Leon right behind them.

"Hey, Dana – Dana, no, it's not for – lemme talk to whoever's there, dammit! Count D's pet shop, how can I help you?" he said into the receiver, slightly breathless. Dana was so fond of the phone since her birthday; she had found out she could call Aunt Mary with it. And she had found out the number, too, much to Mary's amusement and D's dismay, since Dana hadn't yet realised that she had to put the receiver down to end the call.

The voice was at first unfamiliar, but that was probably due to the fact that there was much background noise. "I thought the Count had told you various times not to curse while Dana-chan is around," the caller said coolly. "Is he there?"

"What the-? No, Dana, not now, it's not Aunt Mary. Who's there?" Leon demanded to know, distracted by his daughter.

"Shao Lin. Is the Count there? I want to talk to him."

Now it clicked. Leon rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Shao Lin, but he's not available at the moment. He's – taking a shower, I believe." He could almost see her frowning and blushing at the same time, and grinned self-satisfied. "Whatever you wanna tell him, either you tell me now or you call him again later."

"I cannot wait until later." Her voice was almost drowned in the noise for a moment and Leon recognised the public announcement from airports. "I just wanted to tell him goodbye and thank him for his help. And tell him to be careful. My mother has found me, and she is not happy."

"What?" Leon nearly dropped Dana, who had climbed up to sit on his hip in his first shock. "Whaddya mean, she found you?"

"She found out that I am in New York. She will arrive here shortly, but I managed to escape her catchers. I will leave for Europe now. Goodbye, Leon Orcot."

There was a click, then Lin was gone. Leon stared at the phone, bewildered for a moment. "What the heck?" he murmured, then remembered Dana and carefully sat her down again. "Sweetie, go back to the kitchen, don't burn your fingers. I'm gonna get Bàbà."

He hurried back to D's bedroom, four pairs of eyes following him in confusion. Ten-chan jumped off the counter. "Someone else here who can smell trouble?" he asked no one in particular, but received four nods nevertheless. Although Dana probably only nodded because everyone else was doing so, too.

* * *

"That was all she said?" D inquired, swimming back to the rim of the pool where Leon was sitting. "Nothing else? Not how her mother found her, or where she was going now?"

The blonde shook his head. "I doubt we're ever gonna hear of her again," he said glumly. "I tried to call Sandy, but couldn't get her on the phone." D sent him a knowing smirk and he grimaced for a moment. He knew exactly what she was going to say to the new developments. She had been going on his nerves almost as much as Jill lately, telling him that if he didn't fuck D, he could at least hook up with her again.

Not that she had really meant it; but she still had been insistent enough to make him uncomfortable.

"I really hope she's gonna find someone herself. I mean, not that I wouldn't, if it wasn't for you, but…" Leon played with the cheongsam that was neatly folded on a trunk beside him. D splashed some water at him. "Ya, okay! Anyway, I hope she knows more. What if Mrs. Shao's going on a full revenge trip now? Can she do something to hurt us?"

"She could arrange for your car to be damaged again, this time irreversibly," D suggested and finally climbed out of the pool, obviously satisfied with his morning swim. "She could try to get you fired, or try to get you into the hospital. Being who she is, there is not much that is not possible for her at the moment."

"And whaddya think she's gonna do?" Leon asked, watching the kami slip into his silken clothes. He fastened the little closures, then shrugged. "How am I to know? I am no mind-reader, Leon."

"You couldn't by any chance smuggle one of your pets into her house and make it spy on her?" Leon suggested and earned an amused glance.

"No. Anyway, shouldn't you get dressed sometime soon? Wasn't there something about Jill coming over for breakfast and afternoon shift?"

The blonde groaned, but he went to his own rooms and got ready, then left with Jill for their afternoon shift while D again took care of Jamie. They worked on their respective paperwork for about an hour in silence before Leon stretched and decided he could call Sandy now. This time he got her.

"So you care to call me every now and then!" she teased at once and he blushed a deep red.

"Sandy, I'm sorry," he mumbled and heard her laugh. "It's just – well, it was kind of surprising, the whole thing, you know. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to give it another try, and then I just-"

"- listened to your guts and did the right thing," she finished his sentence for him. "Well, what are you apologising for then? I've told you once and again, I'm okay with being your occasional fuck. Although I doubt that's gonna happen again…?"

He smiled and hoped she could feel it. "Dunno, Sandy. If I were you, I'd not bet on it. We've managed one week so far." They both laughed and then Leon changed the subject. "Anyway, you know anything about Shao Lin's sudden disappearance?"

"She's gone?" Sandy sounded stunned. "No, I don't even – how do you know she's gone?"

"She called the shop and said goodbye, accompanied by a warning that her mother had found out and is pretty angry."

Sandy was silent for a moment. "Shit," she said then.

"You're reading my thoughts," Leon agreed. "Any good ideas?"

"Keep a low profile? I don't know, Leon – start wearing a safety vest when you walk through Chinatown. I can't say little Lin was a sweetheart, but she was nice alright. Well, as nice as someone so wrapped up in tradition and prejudices can be. I wish her luck, but I can't say I think she'll be able to deal. Europe's… different than America. Depending on where she goes, she might run into even greater problems than here."

Leon nodded slowly and wondered for a moment if he shouldn't have argued about the pet with D. Perhaps, like the kami had said, it would have kept her safe on her journey…

But now it was too late anyway. "Call me if you get to know anything, 'kay?" he said and hung up. Jill across from him looked up, in her eyes a strange mixture of envy, fury and disappointment.

"You know it's a wonder you even have some friends left?" she asked. "The way you treat people like shit, it's no wonder the Chinatown people think you're not worthy of D."

The blonde blinked in surprise, not knowing what to reply. Jill usually never, ever picked a fight like this…

"What got stuck in your ass?" he demanded to know, temper flaring. "I'm not treating Sandy like shit, and you know that!"

"Yeah, of course, because she isn't sad at all every time you call and tell her you've found someone else, and that for years!" Jill snapped, and much to his surprise, she looked close to tears suddenly.

"Hell, Jill, Sandy's a grown woman, she knows what she's doing. You don't have to protect her feelings, or whatever it is you're trying to do."

Jill slammed down the folder she was holding. Now the tears were spilling. "I'm just reminding you that other people but you and D have feelings as well, and that you should perhaps sometimes think about those, too!"

Red warning flags went up. "Jill, what the hell is the matter?" Leon asked, very calm. "This ain't 'bout Sandy and me, or D and me. Whatever I've done, just spit it, 'cause you know, I'm just a dumb guy and don't understand female feelings."

Jill turned away, her shoulders hunching. Not again a crying woman.

"Alex stopped paying the money for Jamie last week," she said, hiccoughing slightly. "His lawyer wrote to me. He doubts that Jamie's his son, and he won't pay one cent as long as I haven't proven that he is."

Leon ground his teeth together. Jill continued talking. "That's not the problem, you know? I mean, hell, whatever he says, I know that Jamie's his son and that can be proven very quickly, just takes a test. What's the real problem is that he says Jamie can't be his son because I'm hanging out with you so much. With you and the Count. And he accused me flat out of having cheated on him with you." She gave an unhappy little laugh. "Can you just imagine that? We weren't even going steady, because _he_ didn't want to, and now he's accusing _me_ of cheating on _him_? I don't even wanna know how many other girls he took to bed while he was fucking me."

"Oh Jill," Leon said, not knowing what else to say.

"Don't oh-Jill me!" she snapped, almost choking on her tears. "You're one to talk, you've got D and Dana and – dammit, I don't care how much you fight or how complicated your relationship is, you're at least _friends_ in a way, and you know you can trust each other! Why can't I have someone like that? Why am I always the stupid stepsister who gets the ugly frog instead of the prince?"

Leon had to smile. "Aren't you confusing those fairy tales a little?" he asked, then grew serious again. "Jill, you know that's not true. Apart from the fact that D and I could be used to define "complicated", you're a pretty woman, you've got a good job and you're excellent at your job. You don't need an asshole like Alex to be at your side, you can wait for the right guy to come along."

"He's never gonna come along," Jill said, pulling out a handkerchief and blowing her nose. Leon finally found the courage to stand up and embrace her. "And if, he's gonna run away screaming. Single cop mother. Yeah, sounds like the dream woman alright."

"Hey." He hugged her tight and Jill thankfully buried her head in his shoulder now. "I swear we're gonna find a way. If nothing else helps, just let him visit the shop once and D'll make sure he'll never bother anyone again."

Jill laughed, but Leon felt wetness soaking into his shirt. "That's just the right way to get rid of someone. I mean, considering my job. No thanks, if I'm gonna kill Alex, I'll make sure he knows who killed him. Perhaps strychnine would help."

"Yeah, or rat poison. That's easier to come by," Leon suggested, making her chuckle again. "Hey, everything'll be fine. You just make him do that test and then he can't say anything. I mean, it's his own fault if he tries something like this, ain't it?"

"I know that's not the problem, Leon." Jill disengaged herself and looked at him with bright eyes. "It's just – he makes me look like a whore! Accusing me of fucking you and him at the same time, and when I asked him what this shit means, he made clear that he wouldn't put it past me to fuck the Count, too, and that he'd have said that too, if it wasn't for the fact that Jamie is clearly blonde."

"I could beat him up, if you want me to?" Leon offered, trying to lighten her mood. She declined with a small smile.

"I'd love to do that myself, but I've not sunken low enough to dirty my hands on him because of such shit."

"Then at least tell the chief."

She again shook her head, slowly. "No. This is a thing between Alex and me, and it's got nothing to do with work. It's my own fault, in a way; I knew from the start that hooking up with him was a bad idea. That's just the price I've gotta pay for it now."

Leon was about to argue, but steps quickly neared their cubicle and he shut up again, not wanting whoever was there to listen to their conversation.

Carter rounded the corner, his eyes falling on Leon at once. "You know a lot of people in Chinatown, don't you?" he said briskly. The blonde blinked at Jill in astonishment, who shrugged.

"Who said that I do?" he asked, returning to his desk and sitting down on the edge. Carter impatiently waved his hand around.

"Oh, one of the women here. Do you know them now or not?"

Leon and Jill exchanged a quick glance. "Well, _know_ isn't quite the right word. I've seen a lot of them, but I'm not really better acquainted with them."

"I'm talking about someone you've surely heard about," Carter cut him off. "Count D. He owns some strange pet shop there."

Jill suddenly coughed and turned away while Leon's face went blank in no time. "Yeah, I know him," he said, voice flat. "Why, what's the matter with him?"

"He's a man?" Carter inquired, looking at him sharply. He shrugged and didn't answer. "Man, I need some kind of answer!"

"Why do you want to know about him at all?" Leon returned the question. "I doubt he's involved in triad business."

"But he's involved in the deaths of several persons, including Janet Williamson."

Leon flinched. Carter saw it. Understanding began to dawn on his face. "Wait a moment. What's your name again? Alcott?"

"Orcot," Leon righted, understanding why Carter had placed him wrong. The people in Chinatown, with the exception of D, used to pronounce his name differently, and if Carter had been talking to them…

The tension was suddenly thick in the room. Jill's gaze wandered from Carter to Leon and back. She inched forward slightly.

"So you're the Count's mysterious American lover," the FBI-agent finally said. Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Wouldn't call myself mysterious," he countered. "I'm pretty much not mysterious. Anyway, what's it you wanna know about the Count?"

Carter stared at him for a while. "I think nothing," he said then, turned on his heel and disappeared again. They were silent for a moment. Then Leon rose again, sighing.

"What is he doing here still? Don't they want him back at the bureau?" he asked grumpily. Jill shook her head.

"I guess not, since he's still here. Anyway, you do actually remember that we closed Poison Cave only a month ago, do you?"

"Yes, which is why I don't understand what he's still doing here."

"He's been to HQ for the last two weeks, if it's of any interest to you." Both detectives turned around at the chief's voice. He came into their cubicle and made a sign to keep quiet. "But, as it turns out, there's more to this business than thought. HQ sent him back with instructions to investigate further in the triad."

"Oh, great!" Leon groaned, not at all liking what he was hearing. "Not enough that he's angry at me for Kevin, now he's gonna start nosing around in D's old files, too, or what?"

The chief looked quite perplexed. "No, actually I – nosing around in the Count's old files? Why would he – no, as far as I understood HQ, they had notice that some criminal escaped and now suspect that he's hiding here in America. They've started to investigate all Chinatowns. Has to be quite a big fish." He favoured Leon with a pensive glance. "Why would anyone be interested in the Count's files because of that?"

They all looked at each other for a moment. "D has never been involved in triad business," Leon finally said defensively. The chief held up his hands. "Calm down, boy, I know he isn't. Maybe Carter just thought that he might know the guy – perhaps he's known internationally, and the Count has been to quite a few places in the world… and he usually gets to hear all gossip in Chinatown, doesn't he? There's probably a completely harmless explanation for this."

Leon agreed on the outside, but inside, he had a real bad feeling. How could Carter possibly know that D had been involved in Janet Williamson's death? That… she hadn't even bought a pet at the shop, she had just stolen one…

His eyes narrowed. Something smelled of foul play. He would have to keep an eye on Devon Carter.

* * *

The door was slightly ajar, but D still knocked before he entered. Leon looked up from a book and smiled at him. "Hey. Are the kids down?"

"They are asleep, yes," the kami answered, chuckling at Leon's choice of words, and sat down on the couch, too, glancing at the book curiously.

The human noticed and held it up so that he could read the title. "Dashiell Hammett," he said, grinning. "I was nuts for him when I was in college."

D snorted delicately. "No wonder you are such a nuisance as a detective," he replied and scooted over so he could rest his head on Leon's shoulder. The blonde smiled down on him.

"I'm a fast learner, D. And obviously it works."

The kami smiled at Leon's collar. "Will you come downstairs this evening or do you prefer to stay here?" he asked.

"I'm not tired yet. I'm thinking about getting something else for the walls… other than cars and bikes…"

D jerked up so quickly he nearly pushed Leon over. "I will not tolerate such pictures in this shop, not even in your room!" he hissed, mismatched eyes blazing furiously.

Leon supported himself on his arms and laughed softly. "Oh, won't you?" he teased and D snapped.

"No! Never! Pornography will not…"

His voice trailed off. He looked at the blonde, regarding him amused, and lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry, Leon. You may of course decorate your room like you want to," he said.

"You know you're cute when you're angry, don't you?"

D looked up into blue twinkling eyes. His brow furrowed, then cleared again and he, too, laughed softly. "You only want to tease me, Leon," he said, half-heartedly reprimanding the human.

The blonde grinned, pushing himself back into a seating position. "Yeah. So what?"

"That's childish, you know that, right?"

"Not any more childish than you groping me under the table during dinner."

"I was not groping you!" D protested, making Leon raise an eyebrow. "Oh really? Well, excuse me, but it pretty much felt like you groping."

"My heat is over," D mumbled, looking at the TV just to not look at the blonde. "Which means that you will have to wait a while longer for your child."

Silence. "Oh."

"I cannot change it, Leon, I'm sorry. My body only forms a seed of life if the heat lasts long enough."

Leon laid the book aside and tucked D closer, thoughtfully placing his chin on the kami's head. "Yeah, no wonder it didn't work right away. I mean, what with you crying and all of that…"

"Yes."

"Then we'll try again next time you're in heat," Leon suggested with a bright smile, making the kami groan in both exasperation and amusement. "You really are a hardhead when you've set your mind on something."

"Yeah, course. Thought you'd know that by now."

"I think I do." D's voice was weary, but he rested in Leon's arms quite comfortably without any sign of being unhappy where he was. So Leon took up his book again and continued to read. When he finally was tired enough, D had fallen asleep, so he carried the kami back to his room and then lay down in his bed, smiling to himself.

* * *

**A/N: **God, I hate this chapter, I think -sigh- So much fluff... -shudders-

X: I'm - sorry? ^^' I really didn't mean to make it that difficult for you and your patience. If it's any consolation, I'm not gonna write 800 pages, that'd be far too much for my taste.  
Well, I think one can already see in the manga that D isn't always the one who knows everything - and seeing his history with humans, his pets most definitely know more about liking/loving humans than he does ^^ So yeah, he'd better take advice from them - and Leon, too, 'cause the pets are surely also better at understanding D...  
Well then, I very much hope that you'll really stay along for the ride, 'cause I very much appreciate your comments :-) and sooner or later, most of the questions are going to be answered.

Thank you, anyway :-)

P.S. I don't think it's bad to be attached to book characters. I for my share have often learned more about myself by reading books and empathising with the characters than by talking to others...


	25. An Unholy Alliance

**An Unholy Alliance**

With a groan, Leon stretched and decided to get himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen. He'd been doing paperwork for the last four hours, he deserved a break.

Glancing around the almost empty cubicles, he decided that he wasn't in the mood to talk and went to the kitchen alone, setting the old coffee machine to work. While he waited for the coffee, he lay down on the bench behind the table, quietly cursing the knotted muscles in his back.

"Fuck, wish I'd get some shifts out again," he grumbled and wriggled around, trying to relax them. Maybe he should ask D to give him a backrub this evening… perhaps the kami would be willing to…

"He's got quite the temper, Agent, you'd do better not to get too close to him."

Leon stilled his movements and listened closer. The voice was Alex', he recognised it at once and gritted his teeth. He'd had a nasty argument with his colleague the day before, and only Jill turning up had rescued the younger detective from being beaten.

"And not to the Count either," Alex continued with an eager voice. "If you ask me, it's quite suspicious! I mean, he spent two years going on about how that man's a criminal and then, suddenly, out of the blue, he has a kid with him, moves to Chinatown though everybody there hates him – I bet he's up to something!"

Leon felt the desperate need to give Alex Donovan the beating of his life.

"You should be careful to accuse your colleagues of being traitors, Mr. Donovan." Obviously Carter wasn't quite too happy about Alex, either. His voice was definitely cold. "All I wanted to know was if he ever mentioned Janet Williamson."

"No." Alex sounded disappointed. "Why? Who's she?"

"A woman who died last year," was Carter's short reply.

"Did she buy a pet? Was it one of those Pet Shop Deaths?" Alex sounded excited, but he was disappointed again.

"No, she did not. What is a _Pet Shop Death_?"

Leon didn't dare to move one muscle when the two men entered the kitchen and went to the coffee machine. "A Pet Shop Death is usually Orcot's speciality," Alex explained eagerly. "It means that it's a mysterious death and that the victim happened to visit Count D's Pet Shop before it died. The victim's usually pretty messed up – nasty, even for us. You wouldn't wanna see some of them!"

"I am an FBI-agent. Your petty little murders wouldn't shock me in the least. I have seen things you wouldn't even want to imagine, Donovan."

Leon would have exploded at the snotty voice. But Alex was only spurned on by it. "You really think so? Did you see the pictures of that fish we had to cut up to retrieve all body parts of Jason Gray? That was nasty, I tell you! Anyway, that Janet Williamson, what she's gotta do with the pet shop?"

"Nothing at all," Carter replied shortly. "I was merely wondering if someone happened to look into her death."

"Murder?"

"Suicide." There was a strange note in his voice. Leon would've liked to peek out, but he knew that the moment he moved, they would notice him, so he stayed where he was.

"Well, then it could be a Pet Shop Death… if often looks like suicide."

Carter snorted with disgust and left the kitchen again, Alex trailing behind him. Only when their steps had died down in the corridor did Leon move again. Absent-mindedly he went to the coffee machine and took the last half cup of coffee they had left, while his mind was racing. Okay, so Carter had found a connection between the guy that had owned the pet before Janet Williamson had stolen it – what had his name been, again?

Quickly Leon went back to his desk and looked for the file. An icy shock went through him when he opened it.

John William Carter.

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and then opened Google. If Devon Carter was related to John William Carter, it was possible that he'd also known Janet Williamson. Then he would at least know why Carter had suddenly taken an interest in that particular case.

If.

* * *

He was still busy with that when he returned to the shop in the evening and sat on the sofa, his eyes looking into the distance. He hadn't found out if John William had really been a member of the Carter family – after all, the name was very common and he had no authority to request family registers or anything of the kind.

So he also didn't quite pay attention to what was going on in the parlour in general. It wasn't anything special anyway, Dana and Chris were just building a few bridges with the girl's Lego bricks, happily aided by Pon-chan. Tetsu was lying beside them, watching them with dutiful interest, while Ten-chan was sitting in the cradle. Whyever he was doing that.

Then the peace was disturbed by Honlon coming into the parlour. Junrei at once demanded to be involved in the game, something which Pon-chan refused quite unfriendly. In no time, they had started quarrelling. Chris was trying unsuccessfully to calm them down, but the noise didn't even reach Leon's ears. He was lost in his thoughts far too much.

He only woke when Tetsu bit down on his leg. "Hey!" he screamed and jerked up. The totetsu glared at him fiendishly. "Are you deaf or what? They're fighting back there, so be an adult for once and calm them down!"

Cursing, Leon pushed the goat-tiger to the side and went over to Pon-chan and Junrei, who were pulling at each other's hair. Chris was hopping around them in obvious distress and Ten-chan had Dana on his arms. "Junrei, Pon-chan, stop, please!" the boy pleaded and tugged at Honlon's dress. "Please, we can all play together, can't we?"

Leon made short work of them, grabbed both girls at the scruffs of their necks and parted them. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he ranted. "If you wanna fight, do it somewhere else! D's gonna have a heart attack if you wreak havoc here!"

Protest from every side followed, but Tetsu managed to be heard over the others. "What kind of reasoning is that, you dumbhead? The Count wouldn't want them to fight anywhere!"

"You shut up, you freak!" Leon hissed. "Go and munch on someone else!"

"I would, unfortunately I'm not allowed to, thanks to you, idiot!" Tetsu replied and off they went.

Junrei and Pon-chan, of course, were happy to join in and continued to fight, too, until the noise in the parlour reached an almost ear-splitting level.

Which was why D stopped dead in his tracks and merely stared at the mess, having been drawn to it from the back of the shop where he had tended to some pets. He had hoped to have a nice, quiet cup of tea, now that Leon was back home, and perhaps ask the human if he would be willing to give him a backrub – but under this circumstances…

Shuko eyed him with interest and came closer. "Didn't you want to have him in the shop?" she asked, a mocking glitter in her eyes. "You knew that Leon would mean trouble… but you still wanted to keep him near you, didn't you?"

"Not if he's behaving like this!" D protested and put a hand to the doorframe. Shuko shook with silent laughter. "Well, Count, nevertheless I would advise you to keep him close during the coming weeks – I think you will rather need his presence."

D looked at her, confused, but was then distracted by Tetsu jumping onto Leon and biting the human in the shoulder. "TETSU! LEON!" he thundered and stepped right into the chaos, forcing Pon-chan and Junrei apart almost unconsciously. "Stop at once! What has _gotten_ into you?"

Both opponents glared at each other while Leon righted his T-shirt. "That freak bit me! Twice!" he accused the totetsu who immediately defended himself. "Just because he didn't care about Junrei and Pon-chan trying to rip each other's hair out! I mean, really, what kind of father is he, not noticing that they're fighting?"

D turned to Ten-chan who was laughing quietly and shrugged at his glance. "Well, Pon-chan didn't want to play with Junrei, so Junrei and Kanan got angry and started to fight with her, and Leon was in la-la-land, so Tetsu went and bit him. And then they started to fight."

D's eyes narrowed. "And you didn't think that maybe you should put a stop to all this, Ten-chan?"

"Why would I?" the nine-tailed fox countered. "I was busy protecting Dana-chan. Anyways, I don't know what all the uproar is about. They didn't even shatter anything."

D sighed, sent both Pon-chan and Honlon to their rooms and then turned to Leon and Tetsu. The totetsu glared at the human, rose from the floor and stomped off without noticing D's soothing gesture. "I swear, one day I'm gonna cook and eat him! Just you wait!"

The kami turned to the rest, but Ten-chan had already gripped Chris's hand and was leading both children to the back so that he was left alone with the human. Wordlessly they looked at each other before D sat down in his chair, heaving a deep sigh.

"Why oh why did I ever consent to you living in this shop?" he asked the ceiling. Leon grumbled. With a nasty sound the sleeve of his T-shirt came off and he held it out to D, accusation on his face. "Just look what he did! That beast should be locked up, and the bigger the cage, the better!"

D didn't bother to answer. He felt tired. Leon continued to rant for a few moments, then he sat down, his face taking on a pensive expression. "D, what exactly is Tetsu? I mean, why does he threaten to eat me every damn time we quarrel? It's kind of stupid, I mean – he isn't even big enough to seriously harm me."

A smile flitted over the kami's face. "You should take his word for that, Leon. T-chan is not as harmless as he looks, and if you anger him too much, he will certainly hold his promise. And I personally doubt you would like to end up as one of his feasts. I recall you being not too happy about Mr. Wong."

"Who in his right mind would've been happy about that psycho?" Leon countered. Then his brow wrinkled. "Wait a moment... Tetsu? Tetsu is _Wong_?"

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for not updating sooner. I decided to instead visit the hospital. Tell you, I'd have preferred updating...


	26. Totetsu Lessons  Cut Short

**Totetsu Lessons – Cut Short by Unexpected Events**

"You can't just free a criminal from the prison! And especially not a criminal who's in prison for eating humans!" Leon yelled.

D glared. "You wanted to know about the shop and its inhabitants!" he gave back hotly. "Now you will have to live with the consequences. And besides, Tetsu is _not_ human. He was just using a human disguise."

"That doesn't make this any better, D." Leon glared right back. "He still is guilty of killing over forty humans. I arrested him myself, dammit, because he wanted to chew on _you_, if I may remind your kami highness of that!"

"My memory is quite intact, _Detective_!" the kami snapped. "I was aware of what Tetsu would try to do. In fact I was rather displeased that you arrested him. I would have preferred not to have to free him from prison to get him into my shop."

The blonde gaped. "I can't believe you sometimes," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You'd've let him _eat you up_ just so he would stay in the pet shop?"

D smiled his best infuriating smile. "I assure you, he wouldn't have had much success. I was fully capable of handling the situation."

Leon turned around. "In short, my worry was superfluous," he said curtly. D bit his lip and scolded himself for not harking up better before. Rising, he went to stand behind Leon, nestling his head against his shoulder blade.

"But I still was glad that you came," he whispered. "You burst in through that door like a fury, just to save me… nobody has ever tried to save me."

The blonde kept still. "Really?" he asked then.

The young kami nodded, hiding his smirk. Leon could be so easily distracted. "You do so many things for me, and most of them aren't necessary at all. But I know you do them because you believe them to be and I honour and appreciate them as if they were. Only that you took T-chan to the prison was rather unkind…"

Leon snorted at that. "Well, it's not exactly as if you'd told me he wasn't human, but a freaking totetsu or whatever you call that and that you wanted him for your collection of scary pets. Which is, if I may point that out, far too big for my taste anyway."

D chuckled. "No, I didn't," he admitted. "But I rather disliked the prison…"

The human sighed deeply. "And now?" he asked helplessly. "What am I to do now? I mean, I'm a detective. I can't just let Tetsu stay here when he's guilty of murder."

"You cannot throw an animal into prison. Just think of him as a dog. You wouldn't throw a dog into prison for eating a rabbit, would you?"

"D, that's different," Leon pointed out. "A dog and a rabbit are both animals. If one eats the other, it's nothing that concerns the police. But if Tetsu goes out and eats some humans, it's my job to stop him."

The young kami sighed impatiently and tried to suppress the sudden queasy feeling in his stomach. Such talks usually led nowhere except anther fight. "But he doesn't anymore. He barely ever leaves the shop. And besides, you wouldn't put a dog who killed a human into prison either, would you?"

"No, that dog'd be shot and his owner held responsible for not watching it better. Who in this case would be you," Leon countered, raking a hand through his hair. "Dammit, D, 'tis not exactly like Philippe or Kate or even Honlon!"

"I can't change the way it is, Leon!" D snapped, let go of the human and returned to his chair, pressing a hand on his revolting stomach. "Tetsu needs to eat human flesh every now and then to survive! Am I supposed to let him die or what?"

The blonde groaned and rubbed his face tiredly. "No, course not," he moaned. "God, Chris would be devastated! Not to speak of Dana."

"I -" All of a sudden D felt horrible. He retched dryly and bent over. Leon let go of his face and watched him, confused.

"D, what's the matter?" he asked. "You sick?"

The young kami would've liked to answer, but he already felt the tea and cake make their way back up into his mouth. Hurriedly he jumped up and ran to the bathroom, reaching the washbasin just in time. Supporting himself on both sides, he vomited and vomited until only bitter acid came up.

"Hey, take it slow."

Warm hands kept the hair out of his face and supported his weight when suddenly his knees buckled. Leon rested D's head against his broad shoulder and handed him a glass of cold water. The kami took it greedily, trying to get rid of the nauseating taste in his mouth. Leon rocked him until his body had stopped trembling, and D thankfully leaned into him. "Oh my goodness," he finally moaned. "I hate that!"

The human chuckled. "Well, you're not alone with that, honey. Most people hate vomiting." He let go of D to scrutinise him. "Anyway, why did you…? I mean, that's never happened before, has it…?"

He trailed off while D's eyes widened. He'd been so preoccupied with the fight and then with his nausea that he hadn't drawn the logical conclusion. Now he carefully placed a hand on his abdomen and concentrated. It was weak, small, barely noticeable, much fainter than when he had noticed Dana for the first time. But it was there.

Leon couldn't help but start laughing at the completely nonplussed expression on D's face. Helplessly he giggled while he embraced his boyfriend tighter. "So, that heat was over, you said?" he teased and nuzzled his nose into D's neck, breathing in his scent. "Well, seems you were wrong 'bout that, D."

"I – Leon, I was not!" D protested furiously. "I _know_ what happens in my body and when! I _know_ my heat definitely was over, and you know, too. We haven't had sex every night since a week."

Laughter greeted this statement. "Is that a complaint about not enough sex?"

D pushed at Leon's chest. "No, it isn't, you insufferable impolite lecher. I was merely remarking on a fact that confirmed my assertion of the situation."

"God, I don't think I know anyone else who can sound so much like a dictionary. What's wrong with it?" Leon kissed the soft spot behind D's ear.

"It shouldn't have happened," the kami insisted weakly. "I didn't think it could happen again. I don't know!"

"Why shouldn't it have happened?" Leon let go off him, a baffled look on his face. "You know, we didn't use any protection, no tea, no condoms, nothing, and we did it like, three times a day. I'm rather surprised you _didn't_ think you were pregnant."

"But that is not as it should be!" D insisted and wriggled around. "My heat didn't last long enough for me to conceive."

"Well, Dana only took one time, too." Leon really didn't understand why D insisted on it being impossible so much. After all, this was what they had agreed on.

D took a deep breath, closed his eyes and started another lecture. "Leon, I told you about the hormones and how my heat is triggered. But the point why it is so difficult for my species to fall pregnant is that it takes a long time before we conceive. It is a mechanism that is meant to ensure that the child will be cared for by both parents. Two weeks of heat at the least are required to conceive."

"Why?"

"Because -" D sighed. "The body needs time to form a seed of life. If the hormones suddenly stop being compatible during this process, then the development of the seed is also stopped. And just like a human woman doesn't automatically become pregnant after her ovulation, impregnation isn't guaranteed either after the seed of life is fully developed."

"My god, can you become any more complicated?" Leon shook his head and pulled D closer again. "I mean, truly! It's only a baby!"

"_Only a baby_, you say." D's voice suddenly was sharp. "If I may remind you, _only a baby_ was your idea. Or was that just the excuse to convince me to have sex with you again?"

Leon suddenly pushed away from him and stared at the kami. "What the hell is the matter with you?" he demanded. "I don't need an excuse if I wanna have sex."

D didn't reply to that. Leon's eyes narrowed. "Oh, so you think the same as Jill does. That I don't really wanna have another child. Well, tell you what now, _Count D_, after all the trouble I had with my first kid, it's a wonder I even wanna have a second! And I'm not stupid, you know? I know that kid's not gonna resolve anything in our relationship."

"Then why did you insist on it?" D hurled back. "Did you think I wouldn't agree if you said that you only want sex?"

"No, because I know how damn horny you were," Leon snapped and batted D's hand away. "Don't dare to hit me! I know you wouldn't have been able to resist much longer, and that wasn't why I said what I did! D, can you not understand what this is about? You had Dana to yourself all those years, you had the chance to see her grow up, to see her learn and grow. But I didn't!"

Uncomfortable silence fell. Leon tugged at D until the kami again was sitting on his lap, and buried his head in the crook of neck and shoulder. "I just wanna see my own child grow up, D. You know what it's like to look at Jamie and see him growing, and then look at Dana and realise that I can't even know what she looked like at his age, because you don't even have photos?"

D tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

"I just wanna know what it's like to raise a kid with you. I wanna know what you're like when you're pregnant, I wanna be there to see it for myself. I wanna hold my own child in my arms, and not only when it's almost two years old. That's all. Is that so wrong?"

"I'm so sorry, Leon. I am so sorry for what I did. I am so sorry…"

"I know." D could feel Leon's throat working and didn't know what to say. This human – he was the only creature on the whole planet to make him lose his calm, to silence him with a few words, a look, a gesture. The only one to make him laugh like nothing else mattered, the only one to aggravate and excite and thrill him. And he still hurt him so often, knowingly and unknowingly.

"But -" Leon spoke up again, his voice trembling a little. "D, if you really don't want to have a child…"

"Be quiet at once!" They both listened a moment in shock to the sharp echo of the words. Then D softened and closed Leon's mouth with a finger. "How could I deprive you of that? How could I shut you out once again and make a decision solely for and because of myself?"

"You're the one who's gonna have to deal with it. For a long time."

"If you look at it like that, then tell me: how could I kill an innocent child? How could I kill my own child? I have no right to decide if this child is going to live or not."

Leon smiled crookedly. "And that's coming from someone who's selling murder pets to people."

D wanted to say something, but he quickly waved him off. "No, D, just don't. I know what you're gonna say, and I honestly don't want to hear it. You know, I actually did learn something during all those years. You're as much black as you're white, and the grey zone in between is too complicated for me to comprehend, so I'll just take it as it is and try to find some sort of sense for myself."

The kami gave a soft little laugh and caressed Leon's cheek, looking him deep in the eyes. "Those were very wise words, my darling."

"Stole them from you," Leon countered and D chuckled for real this time. He took Leon's hand and placed it on his abdomen.

"Well, then I have only one thing left to do," he said, feeling his insides slowly warming up, glowing with joy. "Congratulations, Leon. You are to become a father again soon." He pressed a soft kiss to Leon's forehead, who, despite the fact that he had been the first to realise, looked stunned at hearing it spoken out loud.

"A father…" Hesitantly he moved the hand over D's belly. "So it _is_ real, isn't it? It wasn't just indigestion or something like that?"

D wanted to burst out. Chuckling, he nodded. "Yes, it _is_ a baby, Leon. I have never had indigestion in my whole life. I will just have to accept the fact that I obviously do not have to complete the heat to fall pregnant."

"Perhaps that what's your degeneration really is. Perhaps your body doesn't stop developing the seed when the heat stops, so that you can become pregnant easier than your ancestors," Leon suggested.

D pondered it for a moment and then smiled. "Yes, maybe. Well, in that case, we might even become grandparents one day."

The ocean-blue eyes that had been rather dark until now lit up. "Hey, don't start planning the kids' future before they're even old enough to have a boyfriend. Or girlfriend, if the new kid's gonna be a boy."

"It could be gay," D suggested and couldn't help the sudden chuckle that bubbled up. Without knowing why, he laughed, feeling dizzy and free and happy at the same time. "Leon, I am pregnant! We are going to have a baby!"

Leon laughed, too, and squeezed him tight. "Yeah, we are. Wonder what the others will say – Dana and Chris and Pon-chan, and Honlon… that means, if Honlon doesn't already know." His face clouded. "How does she know such things, anyway?" he inquired.

D smiled. "She is a dragon, Leon," he answered softly. "Dragons are known to detect secrets and unravel the future. Be glad Honlon is yet very young. Her ability to foresee the future will grow with the years."

"Could be useful." Leon pondered that for a moment and then grinned again. "Think she could find out the Lotto numbers?"

"Leon, do not be silly!" the kami chided and then smiled, resting his head on his shoulder. "But I do hope she does not know yet…" He turned pleading eyes up at his mate. "Would you mind keeping it a secret for a little while?" he asked almost timidly. "I – it is just – only we both know now, and as soon as the pets know, they will be all over me…"

Leon tightened his arms around him. "Sure, babe," he said. "The baby's gonna stay our little secret for a while."

D smiled thankfully. Then he paled and hurriedly stood, bending over the washbasin again. The blonde couldn't suppress a chuckle then. "If you continue to throw up all the time, I doubt you'll be able to keep it a secret for very long," he commented and went to help the father-to-be.

* * *

Tetsu was not really excited about Leon taking him aside. "We've gotta talk," the human growled and dragged him into the parlour rather unfriendly, which was pretty deserted at the moment. The pets were reclining in their rooms and not populating the front as usual. It seemed as if life was taking a break in the shop, though why was beyond Leon's knowledge. He didn't care much either, if he was to be honest.

"And what about, if I may ask?" the totetsu snapped and freed his arm from the human's grip, rubbing it with a pout on his face. "Don't know what we'd have to talk about."

"Well, we could maybe talk about Mr. Wong and his 'death'," Leon suggested, the blue eyes hard.

Tetsu's eyes narrowed. "Don't know what you mean."

"You know fucking well what I mean!" the blonde snapped. "You murdered over 40 people!"

"Yes, and I also cooked and ate them, so what?"

"I knew why I don't like D's freaks."

"And I know why you don't like the Count either, but still cling to him like a lifeline."

They glared at each other. Leon's eyes sparkled in plain anger, while Tetsu's were both triumphant and excited. He obviously relished in the old rivalry flaring up again. "And before you start getting any funny ideas in your head, _I_ won't give any promises I won't keep anyway."

"You're not going to kill one more human! I swear I'll kill you if you do!" Leon growled, his voice dark and threatening.

Tetsu showed off his fangs, grinning even broader when the human shuddered. "Oh, _dear Leon_, don't you worry about that. Lucky for you, the Count took his promise more serious than you him, and forbade me to kill any more humans."

"But -" Leon's brow wrinkled. "You have to eat human flesh. D said so himself."

"I do." There was an aura around the totetsu Leon had never noticed until now. When before he'd not felt good near this particular pet because it obviously disliked him (and the way D cuddled him all the time unsettled him), now there was a challenge to him, one that Leon knew he would lose.

"Then where do they come from? D breeds them in his cellar for you or what?" he snapped, not wanting to show his fear, although Tetsu could probably feel it anyway, being the predator he was.

T-chan's grin could only be described as "really mean". "As if the Count would do that. No, it's much easier. Where in this city do dead humans turn up with some frequency?" he challenged the human.

Leon went pale in the blink of an eye. "Don't tell me that – no, Tetsu, you can't do that, it's – oh my fucking _god_."

"I like mortuaries. And they offer quite some change in food," the totetsu announced, seemingly undisturbed by Leon's reaction. "Only last week there was such a delicious young girl there, and no one knew who she was – true, she'd been taking drugs, but with the help of some sharp sauce, that stale aftertaste can be rendered to almost nothing."

Leon turned green. "Never – and I mean, _never, ever_ – tell Chris or Dana about that!" he hissed. "If I one day hear that you've told one of them what you're eating – god, you're such a sick bastard -"

"Oh, probably I am." Tetsu looked at his fingernails with some interest. "I'd say that with the exception of the Count and a few other vegetarian pets in here, we can all join the club of sick bastards. Meat-eating's just what most of us do."

"But not human flesh," Leon protested wildly, but knew already that he couldn't argue much there. Even if Tetsu might look like a human (at least, while he was looking at him through Kanan's eyes), he wasn't. So that didn't even count as cannibalism.

Still, it made him sick to think that his little brother and daughter played day to day with someone who searched the mortuaries of Los Angeles for food.

"Oh, snap out!" Tetsu growled, looking at him again. "I wouldn't eat either Chris or Dana, if it's any consolation. There're humans who eat other humans, too. It's perfectly natural. After all, if you take the soul away, you're just a bunch of flesh and muscles like any other living creature on this planet, too."

That was, without any doubt, a point of view that was very straightforward and also true. Nevertheless, it took some getting used to, and Leon tried to look at it from Tetsu's point of view for a moment, tried to imagine that for him it was the same as Leon's steak was for Leon – but there still was something in him that refused to agree with what he was doing.

Luckily for him, right then D entered, carrying a large tray with several dishes on it. Pon-chan was trailing after him. Leon jumped up at once and took it from his hands, leaving Tetsu to himself, who blinked in surprise. "Dammit, D, be careful!" the human scolded.

The young kami wiped away a strand of hair and glared at him. "I am not a child, Leon," he replied icily. "Do not start treating me like one!"

The blonde blushed, but he still carried the tray into the kitchen, closely followed by D, arguing with him. "You should be careful, is all I'm saying," the pets heard before the door closed behind them. Pon-chan sidled up to her best friend, oblivious to the conversation he'd just had with Leon.

"Say, T-chan," she started, "Leon's really protective of the Count lately, isn't he?"

The totetsu eyed the door behind which they could hear that D hadn't been angry for long with his mate. "Yeah, pretty," he stretched and then cast a sharp glance as Pon-chan's point hit home. "Oh no," he said, stunned. "That can't be. Why would they… no, surely not."

The raccoon's eyes sparkled. "Why no? After all, Leon's said more than once that he wants another baby. And we all know they barely slept at night during his heat…"

"But – that's a stupid idea! The Count said so himself!" T-chan protested. "He can't have a second kid with him. Dana's enough work as it is. Not to mention Chris and Jamie."

His friend barely chuckled at that and hopped off. "Well, I'm just saying. Why not?"

T-chan stared at the door to the kitchen. The Count was laughing, a soft, happy sound that he only ever made whenever Leon did something he liked. He groaned. Not that he really minded another child in the shop – but shouldn't they at first work out their problems?

On the other hand, if they were really having a second child together, it might just solve some…

* * *

He shared his suspicion with his best friend that evening, having tea after the children had gone to bed. Leon and D were looking at some papers at the table, and Ten-chan had sat down on a cabinet with his teacup, dangling his feet and watching them.

Tetsu climbed onto the cabinet to sit beside him. "Why's he not eating cake?" he asked without any kind of introduction and Ten-chan glanced at him in obvious bafflement, then back at the Count, who was just stepping a little closer to Leon.

"Why would I know? Perhaps he doesn't feel like it today. He's been a little strange…" His voice trailed off as he stared at his master. "No way!" he cried out, face bright with joy. "No way! You're pregnant again? Oh, wow!"

D and Leon at the secretary startled, and the kami hastily took his hand away from his abdomen, where he had unconsciously placed it and blushed, a shy smile on his face. Leon wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "So much to keeping that a secret," he said, but his grin told a different story. "What was it that tipped you off?"

"I don't know, I was just – well, Tetsu-" Ten-chan didn't know what to say, but finally he decided to simply be overjoyed. "Oh my, congratulations! Did you already tell Dana and Chris?"

Leon and D exchanged a little grimace. "Originally we didn't want to tell anybody so soon," the blonde said, holding D tighter. "We found out only a few days ago, too, and we wanted to wait a little while longer…"

"Oh, nonsense!" Ten-chan jumped down from the cabinet. "Hell if I'm gonna leave the shop in the next months! I already skipped on the first baby!"

D winced, remembering what had driven the fox from the shop back then, and not entirely happy about having the hyperactive kitsune in here during his pregnancy either. "Now, Ten-chan, calm yourself and for once keep your mouth shut. The children will be told in due time, and that's not now," he admonished, looking at Leon for support. "Let us please get used to it before we tell them."

Ten-chan blinked in obvious surprise. "What's there to get used to? It's just a pregnancy," he said, as if this was an everyday occurrence. D sighed and shook Leon's arm off.

"Well, as a matter of fact, _I_ am not feeling all that used to being pregnant, and Leon, too, has to learn a lot. For example, that a baby in my belly hasn't suddenly rendered me to a fragile porcelain doll which has to be wrapped up in cotton and silk so that nothing will happen to her."

Leon took the reprimand with a guilty grin. He knew he was getting on D's nerves with his overprotective behaviour since he'd gotten to know about the baby, but he couldn't help it. It wasn't quite calming for his nerves when D jumped out of their bed in the middle of the night to go vomit a little. He tried to keep track of when and what D had eaten last, but that was difficult since he was at work and D only managed to keep half of what he was eating down.

"Seems like you're gonna be a very concerned father, at least for the new kid," Kanan cut in and entered the front room, smirking. "And what about us, _Daddy_?"

Everyone else laughed while Leon snatched her and good-naturedly ruffled her hair. While they were busy with her and Leon, Shuko came closer to D. "You truly shouldn't complain about him staying close," she said, smirking too. "After all, it's going to be much easier for you."

D looked at her, astounded, but unfortunately Leon started to wrestle with Kanan in that moment and their conversation was cut short rather roughly by the dragon's body moving elsewhere. Shuko laughed and turned her attention to Leon and Kanan, too, leaving D to think.

* * *

Dana's voice woke him, and for a moment D looked around his bedroom, completely disorientated. Where was Leon? He knew the human had gone to bed with him last night, stating that he had to take care of him should he be sick again. Against D's will, needless to say, although in the end, it had turned out to have been quite a… delightful idea.

Now Leon was obviously taking care of their first child, trying to keep the noise down so not to wake D.

How strange it felt to suddenly be thinking of Dana as their first child. Since D had realised he was going to have a child, the thought of having more than one had only crossed his mind as a fantasy or a wild, desperate scheme.

But yet again, his body had surprised him with being capable of accepting Leon's seed outside the time it was supposed to do so…

If he was to be completely honest, he had not exactly been sad realising that his heat was over. However glad Leon might be about this, the nausea was not something D had been looking forward to.

The door went. Leon came in and smiled at his lover, curled up on his bed like a cat. "Hey babe. You're okay?"

D raised his head and returned the smile. "I am fine," he replied. "Just a little tired…"

"You just slept for more'n eight hours on end." The blonde sat down on the bed and followed D's hand until he was curled up around the kami. "Do you want anything?" he asked quietly.

D shook his head. "No, I'm alright. Like I said, only tired."

"I wish I could do something to make this easier."

"You are doing something. You are here," D answered, closing his eyes with an expression of bliss. Leon laughed softly, unhappily. "More, D, more. You shouldn't feel like shit."

That made D laugh, too. "I do not feel that bad, Leon. It is normal, you know that."

"Doesn't mean that I like it better. I mean, I'm responsible for it. Partly."

"And that is why I do not mind," D finished firmly and grimaced when his stomach clenched. "Would you please let me go to the bathroom?"

Leon, of course, went with him and took him into his arms when D had finished, sighing. "Hell, D, how long's this gonna take? The vomiting and stuff, you know?" He let go off D to look at him with renewed interest. "D, how long _is_ a kami pregnant?"

"Roughly three months," D answered flatly, his eyes closed. "Maybe four, if it's a difficult pregnancy, but usually around three months."

Leon stared in disbelief. "Three. What the hell, D, that can't be enough for a child to fully grow."

"This is why we need our mate nearby," D replied swiftly. "Because they have to help us deal with all the problems. And because both partners can be very preoccupied with the pregnancy, it takes short time so not to burden the parents to the point where they won't be able to care for the baby later because of exhaustion. It is very simple nature."

Leon just shook his head. "And how long will you be pregnant, then?" he wanted to know. "I mean, three months, that'd be… hell, damn short! The baby'd have to be born in less than six weeks, and you're not even – you don't even have a belly yet."

D sighed, his eyes still closed. "Yes, I happened to notice that, thank you very much. I am carrying a human child, and those happen to have a longer pregnancy. Dana took 10 months to grow and be born. But that was without you near."

"So how long's it gonna take this time?"

The mismatched eyes snapped open and glared. "How am I to know?" D demanded, his patience obviously thin. "I will know when the child is ready to be born, but I cannot foresee the future. Go and ask your daughter if you are so intent on knowing beforehand."

He roughly pushed himself up and left Leon in the bathroom on the floor, shaking his head in something resembling exasperation. Mood swings. Just great.

* * *

**A/N: **anonymous: I'd help Ten-chan... no problem at all ^^ Well, seems as if the pets have little to no inhibitions about nakedness xD But yes, you're right, Jill's been having an extremely hard time lately. I promise it'll get better sooner or later, kay?

sess18: I tried... sorry for not making it, but well, one week is perhaps ok?


	27. Be a Man, Leon!

**Be a Man, Leon, Not a… Pregnant Woman?**

A few hours later D already rued his little explosion. He'd not meant to be mean, he was just – strained. Very strained. While during Dana, his body had hurt almost all the time, now he just felt – uncomfortable in there. Like it wasn't his body, but someone else's.

He didn't like it very much.

Retching dryly again, he moaned at the feeling of being sick, so damn sick… and he couldn't call Leon, because he couldn't ask him to leave work and look after him, hold him close and make that sickness disappear…

The thought of Leon's care made its absence only worse. D lay in his bed, stared at the green leaves protecting it and was angry at himself for starting a pity party, at Leon for not being here when he craved his nearness and at the world in general for making this so difficult. So okay, perhaps there was something to what Shuko had said. That he should keep Leon as close as possible if he wanted the pregnancy to be an easy one.

Then D's eyes fell unto the pile of clothes they had discarded so hastily yesterday. He gazed at them for a moment, then stood and walked over, sifting through the pile until he found the T-shirt Leon had worn. He buried his face in it, breathed deeply, taking in the typical scent of Leon, faint cigarettes, sweat, gunpowder…

To his great surprise, it worked. He felt better after just a few sniffs. Feeling both stupid and proud for being able to solve at least one problem on his own, D trudged back to the bed, cuddled the shirt close and went to sleep, nose buried in it.

* * *

It happened seldom that Leon didn't like food. It happened even fewer times that he suddenly took a dislike to something he was eating right at that moment, for he was used to disgusting things. He could even eat when looking at a murder scene, gruesome as they sometimes were.

But right now, the sight and smell of his chicken sandwich turned his stomach.

Disgusted he pushed it to the side and stared at it as if it contained poison. His movement caught Jill's attention, and she followed his gaze to the sandwich. "What's the matter with it? You suddenly found slugs in there?" she asked, amused. Leon shook his head, considered answering and thought better of it.

"I'll be right back," he mumbled and stood up, trying not to hurry. But in the end, he lost the fight and ran to the toilet where he stood bent over a washbasin, cooling his head with some towel, retching dryly every now and then. Closing his eyes in agony, he furiously tried to fight the nausea down. He couldn't get sick, not now – D needed his help, he couldn't get sick…

"Leon, you alright?" Jill asked, stepping inside and taking a good look at him. "Hey, Leon?" She laid a hand on his shoulder.

As if she'd pressed a switch with that, he bent forward and started vomiting. Her eyes went wide as she hurried to hold his hair out of harm's way. "Wow, now that was impressive!" she commented after he'd stopped. "Haven't seen you do that in years!"

Leon glared at her with watery eyes. "Thanks so much, Jill," he gritted through his teeth.

"Did you catch a cold or what? Was something wrong with that sandwich?" she inquired and gently elbowed him to the side to clean the washbasin. "Thank god you've only eaten half of it."

Leon looked away; both the smell and the sight were everything but pleasant at the moment. In fact, he almost felt like vomiting again. "Hope not. There's too much work to be ill," he grumbled, cursing himself. Jill put cool hands to his forehead and checked.

"But you're not warm. Perhaps you're allergic to something in the mayonnaise," she suggested and was favoured with a _look_.

"I've been eating that same sandwich for years and I've never been sick because of it."

He only realised what he'd said when Jill started laughing. "Well, if that's true, then it's a real wonder you're still alive," she chuckled. "However, they might have changed some ingredient without you knowing, and you might be allergic to the new one."

Leon shrugged, but he felt better now indeed, so he gently steered her out. "Yeah, maybe. Now let's get back to work, okay?"

* * *

However, his stomach stayed queasy the whole day and Leon hurried to get home. If he was ill, he should take a hot bath and perhaps drink some of D's tea in time to prevent it getting worse.

Much to his surprise, the kami, whom he had left as a more or less miserable bundle in the morning, was quite happily chatting with a customer and didn't look at all like he'd been up half the night vomiting. Well, that was good; it was only not doing much for Leon's own mood.

Dana and Chris managed to lighten it up, however, by running out of the back and flinging themselves at him, telling him about their adventures of today. Leon smiled as they tugged him into the kitchen where Tetsu was preparing food. The smell made him feel a little sick, but it was not too bad, so he stayed where they seated him and listened patiently until D came and sat down to have dinner, too. Chris beamed at him.

"Hey, you're eating again!" he said happily. Leon and D exchanged a glance, while Tetsu turned back to the hotplates, grinning to himself. Pon-chan and Ten-chan perked up and winked at each other. D slowly laid his chopsticks down.

"You have noticed that I haven't eaten the last few days?" he inquired and the boy nodded. "Yeah, course. Dana told me you even were sick once."

"Yeah, and I was just eating my cake." The girl looked almost hurt and Pon-chan patted her head reassuringly. Another silent gaze.

"Well -" D said slowly. "There is a reason for that, Chris. I, uh, I was sick because I am – well, Dana will have a little brother or sister in a few months' time."

The children's eyes went as wide as saucers. "No shit!" Chris exclaimed and Leon received a glare. Guiltily he hunched his shoulders and chuckled, taking a good bite of the steak Tetsu had made for him. _Thinking of it – why does Tetsu cook all the time…?_

"You're going to have a baby?" Dana cried. "Why?"

The young kami couldn't help the slight blush. "Dana, I have explained to you already. Because your father and I had sex and he got me pregnant. It doesn't take more for making a baby."

"But I wanted a baby! A baby like Jamie!" She pouted and D felt the strong need to bury his face in his hands.

"Dana, you are going to have a little brother or sister, and he or she will be your baby, too, in a way. But you will have to wait until you are fully grown to have babies on your own." At least, if Dana could have babies, being the Halfling she was. D pushed that thought away.

Focusing again on his daughter, he caught Chris's eyes. The boy was red as a tomato and clearly embarrassed. Oh well, perhaps saying the sex-thing hadn't been the best of ideas; Chris was more sensitive there than Dana. "Chris, please forgive me, I didn't mean to…"

"I'm okay," he hastily assured. "I mean, that's cool. It's cool that you're, uh, pregnant." His voice was almost questioning. D turned to Leon, seeking at least some help from the father's side, but much to his surprise, Leon was staring at his steak with a mixture of weird fascination and disgust on his face.

And before anyone could say any more, he jumped up, mumbled "Sorry!" and hurried out, leaving D to explain.

* * *

Ten-chan and Pon-chan were still laughing when they arrived at the door to Leon's rooms. "I loved it!" the fox crowed. "I just loved it! You ever seen him look so baffled? Oh, _lord_!"

He continued laughing heartily, but Pon-chan fell silent suddenly. "Hey, d'you hear that?" she asked and elbowed her friend. Ten-chan tilted his head to the side. "What?" he asked curiously, then harked up as he, too, heard the sound of someone vomiting. "Leon?"

They rushed inside Leon's apartment and went looking for the human, finding him in the bathroom, his head resting on the side of the bathtub. He was quite pale. The nine-tailed fox touched him hesitantly. "Hey, you're alright? What's the matter?"

"Dunno. Must've caught a cold," Leon replied, eyes closed. "D should better keep the kids out of my reach. Can anyone bring me some tea? Think I need some."

Both pets blinked in surprise, but complied. D came along when Pon-chan returned with the tea, while Ten-chan had helped the human into the bath. The kami was still irked that he had been left alone with the children, but when he saw Leon's face, his expression changed to worried.

"Oh dear, Leon – I told you not to overstrain yourself like this," he scolded softly, kneeling down beside the tub. Leon impatiently waved him off. "Get outta here, D, I don't want you to catch it, too."

D's lips quirked. "As if it would make any difference if I vomit because I'm ill or because I'm pregnant."

"But the baby might be harmed," Leon argued and D gave in, sighing.

"Not that I'd catch any human sickness, mind," he voiced dryly, but stood up again, pressing a kiss to Leon's forehead. "Promise to call if you feel worse. If not me, then Pon-chan or Ten-chan. Or I'll send Tetsu to look after you."

Leon opened his eyes, and D got a good look at the desperate expression in them before the human bent over and vomited anew. Shaking his head, he signalled Ten-chan to take care of him and then went to prepare the children for bed, hoping that Leon wasn't really ill. They didn't need two sick grown-ups in the shop.

* * *

Leon's stomach had calmed down the next day, at least enough for him to go to work. He stayed well away from food most of the day, but tried to eat an apple on Jill's insistence in the afternoon, which worked. On the way home they met Chris on the street, Tetsu and Pon-chan in tow. They were playing with some street cats and told Leon that they'd been sent out because Dana had broken a teapot in a fit of temper, and continued hurriedly to the shop.

Dana was screaming loudly inside. Leon rolled his eyes and opened the door, behind which D was carrying Jamie around. The boy was obviously tired and D trying to get him to sleep, but Dana's screaming made that difficult. D's face showed relief at Jill's sight.

"I didn't want to lay him to sleep in the back since it was already time for you, but he was very crotchety the last half hour," he explained over Dana's screams as he handed the boy over to his mother. Jamie fastened his hands in her shirt and his pout vanished. Jill looked at Dana questioningly and D shrugged.

"A little bout of jealousy," he said, sighing. "She wanted me to read her a book, but I had to take care of Jamie, and Chris couldn't read that book since it's Chinese. So she decided to play princess."

Jill winked at him and took Jamie's little jacket. "Well, then we'll be on our way so you can calm her down," she said. "See ya, Leon."

Dana's screams still didn't subside although her competitor was gone now. Leon and D looked at their child. "You think she'll be able to deal with a new baby?" Leon asked. D shrugged.

"Well, so far she has never been that jealous," he said, brow wrinkled. "I guess it is because she is also angry that we are having a baby when she wanted one." Going over to his daughter, he picked her up with strong hands. "Dana, stop crying now. Jamie is gone and your behaviour is ridiculous."

She screeched like a banshee and sobbed something in Chinese which Leon didn't understand. D replied in the same language and was forced to kneel down on the floor when she struggled against his grip. Their debate continued, Dana's volume increasing even more. Leon waited patiently, although his fingers itched to light a cigarette. This could take some time.

"Noooo!" Dana wailed and struggled in D's arms. One of her feet hit the kami's belly. He gasped in pain and let go of the child so suddenly she fell backwards. Leon shot up like a lightning. D was bending over, clutching his abdomen with both hands and breathing fast.

"Dana, dammit!" the blonde yelled. "Can't you be careful?"

The girl started to cry loudly again, but right now he was more concerned about D and the unborn child. He knelt down beside D and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "D, you okay? What about the kid?"

The young kami looked up and tried to smile. "I am fine, Leon. I am fine. Dana just hit a very sensitive spot," he said and tried to stand up, Leon supporting him and leading him to a chair into which D gratefully slumped, still keeping both hands firmly on his abdomen. But he nodded towards Dana. "Go calm her down, Leon," he said quietly. "It's enough now. She has to learn that she can't always have her will."

The girl whined even more shrilly when Leon knelt down beside her, but the blonde was by now used to her ways of getting what she wanted. "Dana, stop that," he said firmly. "You know very well you shan't hit anyone, not the pets, not me and especially not D at the moment. You know there's a baby in his belly. Do you want to hurt your little brother or sister?"

The cries subsided abruptly. Dana sniffed and sulked. Leon waited. Finally she turned her head to the side. "No," she mumbled.

Leon stroked her hair. "And what do you say when you hurt someone?"

"I'm sorry, Bàbà," she sniffed. D smiled at her and extended his arms. Leon scooped her up and placed her right in her kami father's lap, who took her little hands and placed them on his belly.

"Thank you, Dana. I accept your apology," he told the girl earnestly. "I am not angry. But please be careful in the future. The baby can feel it if you touch me or hurt me. Do you want to say sorry to it, too?"

She gnawed on her lower lip. D and Leon exchanged a look. Then the kami embraced his daughter. _"Dana, darling, a new baby doesn't mean we love you less,"_ he murmured into her ear, switching to Chinese again, talking to his daughter about his love for her.

Finally Dana smiled. "Sorry, baby," she said and petted D's abdomen. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Thank you, my dearest," he smiled and let her slip down again. "Now will you do me a favour and go to Honlon? Leon and I shall prepare food and then we can all have dinner together."

Her small face lightened up and she took off, crying for her elder sister happily. The blonde watched her go with a surprised look on his face. "Is something the matter, Leon?" D inquired and stood.

"No, nothing," he replied and groaned getting up, too. "'s just – strange to think that the baby feels the touches. I mean…"

He went beet-red and D laughed, guessing his thoughts. "Oh Leon," he said, bemused. "The baby of course feels touches, but it is yet so small it probably cannot differ between Dana stroking my belly and your – touches." His mismatched eyes gleamed wickedly.

Leon cleared his throat meaningfully. "I just thought, maybe we should… be more… abstinent in the next few months?"

D took his hands and placed them on his belly. "We should be careful, yes," he replied softly. "But I don't see why we shouldn't sleep with each other if we wish to. As far as I know, pregnant human women have sex, too, and so have animals. The baby shares my feelings. If I feel good, it is content, too."

"You know that's blackmail, right?" Leon said and grinned. "If I don't make you feel good, my kid in your body is unhappy?"

D laughed softly and pressed his body closer to Leon's. "If you wish, you may call it blackmail," he consented and nibbled at Leon's throat. "But I should think you are having fun, too."

"Oh, hell, D," Leon muttered, and the kami felt a familiar stirring in his lover's jeans. "You think dinner can wait ten minutes longer?"

* * *

D was still fast asleep when Leon inched to the toilet in the early morning hours. He didn't vomit this time, but he spent almost half an hour fighting the nausea and spitting sour saliva into the washbasin before he decided that going back to sleep wasn't an option now. So he left for work early, leaving D a note.

Jill laughed at his sight and handed him an apple. "With best regards from your husband," she said, smirking. "Next time he expects you to properly close the door, since he was woken by Kanan coming in and jumping up and down on his bed. Who's Kanan?"

Leon sent a quick glance around. "Dana's older sister," he murmured quietly, eyed the apple and finally took a bite, trying not to feel bad when Jill's face got a little spooked.

"Right. The dragon, is it?" she murmured, slipping into her chair and keeping her voice low.

"Yup."

"Where does she live in that shop, anyway? Ain't a dragon pretty big?"

Leon thought back to his first meeting with Honlon in Japan. "Yup, pretty big," he agreed. "But the shop's bigger'n one'd think, too, so that's not a real problem."

She didn't look quite convinced, but turned to her work nevertheless. "Oh, did I tell you that Alex got a nice letter from my lawyer yesterday?"

Leon lighted up at once. "You don't say. Lemme guess: poor Alex will _unfortunately_ have to continue paying money for his son."

"You bet."

"Yes! See, I told you it'd be alright! I mean, it was the truth!"

Jill laughed at his obvious joy. "Yeah, that's true. But hey, I'm entitled to having some depressions. Good news for you, Orcot, by the way. I'm back to pms-ing."

Leon was still grousing in exasperation when she left to question one of her case witnesses, laughing at him. Plus, he was hungry, but didn't dare eating more than the apple, because his stomach was telling him that that might not be the best idea ever.

So it was no wonder that he wasn't exactly friendly when Carter suddenly stepped into his cubicle and cast a look around.

"There's a case file somewhere here," he said without any sort of greeting. Leon leaned back in his chair and glared at him. "There're a lot of case files around here. This is a working place in a police department."

The man stiffened. Leon remembered the look in his eyes when Carter had at last questioned him about the seagulls.

He spontaneously decided to be a little more careful.

"Which case file is it?" he asked and got up to go to the shelf where he and Jill kept their case files.

"Someone named John William Carter."

Leon took care to not let Carter see his face. "John William Carter… Carter… John William…" he murmured and went through the files. "Is he some relative of yours?"

"Why?" Carter snapped. He seemed to be quite impatient.

"I'm just asking!" Leon defended himself. "Carter – Carter, it's just the name!"

"A distant cousin of my father's," Devon Carter replied and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Here it is." Leon pulled out the file. The agent wanted to snatch it away, but Leon grinned at him and kept it out of reach. "Your family seems to have quite a knack for ending up in police records, Agent Carter. First Kevin with Laura Miller, now John William – what was the matter with him again? Oh, right, he was murdered." He whistled as he opened the case file, keeping the fuming agent waiting. "Oh, and there we have his ex-girlfriend. Janet Williamson."

He looked up. Their eyes met, fought.

"Give me that file," Carter said quietly. Leon smirked. "Pity she was hurt so badly soon after her ex-boyfriend died, ain't it? At first she was comatose and when she finally woke up again, she had nothing better to do than kill herself. Without leaving a suicide letter, unfortunately."

Carter was trembling. Leon was thoroughly enjoying himself. "Why would that be unfortunate?" the man ground out.

His smile ceased as he looked at the photo of Janet Williamson and John William Carter that was attached to the file. "Because, as it happens, she was our main suspect for the murder," he replied, memories washing over him again. D in those black clothes… D saying _"She was the woman who stole John William Carter's pet"_ with that stunned expression on his face…

"Janet would never have killed anyone!" Carter snapped and ripped the file out of Leon's hand, causing papers to fly everywhere.

"If you think so." Leon's face didn't let on what he was thinking. So, that was it. _Janet_ would never have been able to kill anyone. Pity that Carter would never get to know what D knew.

He returned to his chair, knowing he'd made his point clear. Carter silently busied himself with the papers. Leon turned back to his computer and startled when suddenly the man spoke up again.

"Does the name of Rau Wu Fei mean something to you?"

"Nope," the blonde answered promptly. "Should it? Who's the guy?"

Carter's eyes were locked on him. "Are you sure you don't know him?"

Leon's patience, already worn thin simply by the agent's presence, snapped. "No, I don't! Why should I know him? Who's he, anyway?"

The FBI-agent shrugged and turned back to the papers on his knees, a mean grin on his face. "I thought maybe you had heard of him somewhere," he said casually. "He's Chinese. You know so many Chinese."

"That doesn't mean I know all of them. It'd be kinda hard, there are 1.4 billions of them." The blonde detective glared. "And if he doesn't live in our Chinatown, how should I know him then?"

"But you have travelled so much in the past years. Did you never get to know any of the people you met in those various Chinatowns all over the world?"

"I didn't stay there long enough to get to know anyone," Leon informed him stiffly. "And my journeys are my business and not yours, Mr. Carter."

The agent glared at the addressing and lost no second to snap back. "Oh yes, please excuse me, you were of course too busy looking for your Chinese lover to notice anyone else. He sure must be a splendid personality to captivate your attention in such a way."

Leon bristled at the insult. Carter smirked and added, "Well, perhaps I should visit him myself to find out if he's worth the interest?"

For a second, the blonde considered yelling "Keep your hands off D!", but he thought better of it. Turning back to his screen, he replied curtly, "Go ahead, but make sure you've got a cushion in your trousers, 'cause D's gonna kick your ass. And he's got a mean right also."

The mocking smile increased. "Yes, I heard you have some experience with that. But I am not you, O_fficer_ Orcot. He may well try. We will see and find out who's the stronger one of us."

Now it was Leon's turn to smirk mysteriously. "Like I said, go ahead and try."

Their eyes held each other, the warning clearly visible. Carter slammed the folder shut. "Fine. I'll have a look at him tomorrow," he snapped, stood and went out while Leon leaned back in his chair contentedly.

"Yeah, wish you much luck with trying to kick D's ass, buddy," he murmured, the grin widening. "If T-chan hasn't bitten off your limbs by the time you try, that means. And believe me, _I_ won't stop him doing that."

* * *

He considered warning D ahead – well, telling him everything about the new problem Carter seemed to present – when he returned to the pet shop that evening, but it simply was impossible to talk to D in private. The moment the children were in bed, the kami sat down at the kitchen table and started to eat. And ate. And ate.

"How do you do that?" Leon finally exclaimed, staring at the fourth plate the kami had cleared. D blushed, but held his plate out to Tetsu, who shook his head and put some new vegetables on it.

"I'm simply hungry," he said apologetically, digging in as if he hadn't eaten at all the whole day. "If I may remind you, I am pregnant and couldn't eat anything for a week. I need food."

Leon caught T-chan shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "Uh-huh," he replied, sceptical. "Of course. You're gonna get fat if you do that every day from now on."

D grimaced. "I am going to get fat anyway," he pointed out and smiled as Tetsu sat down beside him, although his plate clearly contained meat. Leon looked at it, feeling a by now familiar queasy sensation in his stomach.

Tetsu cut off one piece, forked it and put it into his mouth.

The next moment Leon was leaning over the wash basin, puking his guts out. D quickly jumped up and hurried over to him, exclaiming "Leon!" worriedly, while Tetsu stared at the full plate and the vomiting Leon. "Fascinating!" he murmured, eyes sparkling, then jumped up and ran out, calling for Ten-chan loudly.

When he returned with his fox friend, Leon had calmed down and was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, eyes closed. D was kneeling beside him, carefully washing his face with a wet cloth. Ten-chan stopped in the door and shook his head.

"Amongst your many qualities, you also seem to be a good nurse, Count. Amazing," he remarked and then knelt down beside Leon, too, poking him. "Hey, human, you still alive?"

"Go 'way," Leon mumbled, making the pets laugh.

"What's the matter with you, suddenly got a weak stomach? I'm really looking forward to you visiting the next crime scene."

D shot a nasty glance at Ten-chan when Leon paled and bent over a nearby bucket to again retch. "That really wasn't necessary, Ten-chan!" he reprimanded.

"Well, perhaps not necessary, but definitely funny," the nine-tailed fox replied with sparkling eyes. "This is real good, better than a movie!"

D glared before he turned back to the heavily breathing Leon, once more cleaning his face. "Truly, Leon, what is the matter with you? Did you catch something? Perhaps you should go to a doctor tomorrow – we cannot have this all the time. What if I start vomiting again, too?"

The pets seemed to find that prospect hilarious. At least they both started laughing. Then T-chan shook his head and grinned. "Hey, maybe you've exchanged it," he suggested. "You know, Leon got your sickness while you got his appetite."

D stared at Leon for a moment. The corners of his mouth started to twitch. Then he set the cloth aside and started laughing so hard he gasped for air. Leon favoured him with a sour look. "D, that's not funny," he complained, trying to keep his head against the wall to keep it from swimming.

"Not?" the kami giggled and quickly placed his face in his hands to hide the tears that had started to stream out of his eyes. "It's not? Are you sure?"

"Hell, D, no!" Leon snapped and helplessly batted the air, trying to slap D. "Puking ain't funny at all!"

"But you – you…!" Involuntarily D sat down and leaned against Ten-chan's legs. The fox blinked down on him in obvious surprise, then started giggling, too. "Well, I can see how it's funny," he chuckled, patting D's head. "Considering that your presence might've spared him a lot of puking during Dana, it's just fair you should do it now. Ain't a biological bond with a kami a pleasure, Leon?"

The human in question groaned and hid his face in his hands while the supernatural beings continued to laugh. D finally took mercy on him. "Tetsu, prepare some tea for Leon. The same I drank during my pregnancy," he ordered, his eyes still twinkling. "He does not carry the child, but I believe it should work nevertheless, given the circumstances."

Some twenty minutes or so later they had all moved to Leon's apartment, where the human had been placed in bed and was sipping tea with closed eyes. Ten-chan was sitting by his side, following his every move. He seemed rather interested in everything Leon was doing. Tetsu and D talked while the kami was trying to get at least some kind of order into Leon's room.

"But why should a biological connection exist if there is no bond between us?" D argued. Tetsu leaned forward eagerly. "Well, why should it not? You are reacting to Leon in the biological way, we all know you are, else we wouldn't be here right now, would we? That you can bury the connection to his mind doesn't mean that you are burying the bodily connection, too."

"No, but still – I thought it can only work if there is a real bond. A bond between the hearts." D put a sweater back into the wardrobe and threw another on the steadily growing pile of dirty clothes.

Ten-chan from the bed cut in. "But just the fact that you reacted to Leon's body despite the missing bond indicates that there is a rather distinct difference between body and mind. Or heart, whatever you call it. So why shouldn't Leon experience bodily reactions to your hormonal chaos then?"

"Great, does that mean I'm gonna have mood swings, too?" the patient put in, one arm over his eyes. He felt like crap, and those three weren't doing much to make him feel better, actually.

D stopped for a moment and petted his hair. "I'm sorry, Leon," he said gently. "I didn't know this would happen."

The only answer was a groan. Ten-chan chuckled. "Well, if you ask me, it's by far the better solution. I mean, just remember Dana. You almost starved to death because your body wasn't able to sustain the baby and you at the same time."

Leon took his arm away in time to see D trying to shush the fox. "D, is that true?" he asked suspiciously.

"You bet!" Tetsu cut in before D could say anything. "He lived on fruits and mashed potatoes for almost two months!"

"That's not true!" D protested and immediately a debate ensued. Leon stopped it by almost screaming "Does that mean I can't eat anything but _apples and potatoes_?"

All three supernatural beings looked at him with astonishment.

"Yeah, true," Tetsu said slowly. "What _can_ he eat? I mean, he's human, Count. He needs food far more than you do."

Ten-chan jumped up, clapping his hands together in joy. "Well, that's easy as nothing," he crowed. "Let's get to the kitchen, Tetsu!"

Leon thumped back into his cushion. "I'm doomed!" he groaned.

* * *

Around midnight D could finally convince Tetsu and Ten-chan to leave them alone. He sat down beside Leon and took his hand. "I am sorry, Leon," he said with a bad conscience. "I will call the precinct tomorrow and tell them that you are ill."

The blonde almost whimpered. "My gullet feels like it's gonna be cauterised any second!" he complained. D again patted his hand. "Well, it was not necessary to try every kind of meat available in the shop…"

At that, Leon's face became truly horrified. "What?" he exclaimed. "_Every_?"

D realised his mistake in time to cry "No, of course not human flesh!" before Leon could start vomiting for approximately the sixteenth time this evening. With a dry retching sound, he leaned back in his chair and moaned. "Oh, man, that really kicks it! Wish I'd never had that stupid idea!"

"Now it is too late," D said cheerily. "And you yourself said that you wish you could make it easier for me. You are now, isn't that good coincidence?"

Leon glared at him from beneath lowered eyelashes. "Yeah. Great coincidence. If I didn't know that you know that I'd kill you if you did it on purpose, I'd say you did do it on purpose."

"You are so very eloquent this evening," D remarked and forced Leon to drink some tea. "And really, all that meat that's gone to waste today…"

He sighed. Leon blinked at him. "Dammit, D, stop saying 'meat'! If it only wasn't Tetsu who's cooking that stuff all the time!" he complained.

D was silent for a moment, looked at him.

Then he started to laugh again. Leon stared at him. "What's the matter now?"

"I – you -" D squeaked and then calmed down enough to say, "Now I know what it is! You threw up every kind of meat you ate because you connect Tetsu to meat at the moment – you think of human flesh!"

The human went slightly green. "Meat does not mean 'human meat'!" he protested. D nodded, barely able to speak.

"Yes, but you still make that connection, and because you are so very susceptible at the moment because of me, you – you…!"

Leon's expression was as horrified as it ever got. "You mean I've gotta become a vegetarian as long as you're pregnant?" he exclaimed in horror. D wanted to die with laughter, tried to stifle it by biting down on his hand and lost the fight.

For some reason he could never begin to grasp, though, Leon didn't react with anger as anticipated, but instead softened and smiled at him. "Hey, c'mere, you stupid veggie," he murmured, tugging D into his lap and placing his hands on his belly. "Why can't you like meat, you silly? Don't you know you need that stuff if you're pregnant?"

"Not me," D replied, still chuckling. "Human women, yes, but not me. Only the child is going to need meat once it is born. Well, after I stop breast-feeding it."

Now it was Leon's turn to burst into laughter. "You breast-feeding? Oh my freakin' god, I've gotta see that!" he crowed. "Lemme see, are there -?"

D slapped his hand away, which had stolen into the folds of his cheongsam, but he remained seated. "You are such a brazen human, I wonder if I shouldn't try to tame you somehow. Perhaps a whip would help… also with Dana," he remarked dryly. "Now, Leon, stop that!"

But he couldn't help but laugh when Leon's hand wriggled through the fabric and found his nipples, testing them while Leon tilted his head to the side, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well, so far there's no change," he noted. "Hey, wait a moment, what's that?"

D squawked in surprise when Leon found the ticklish spot left to his nipple, and started wriggling around, giggling. "Stop that! No! Leon, I'm warning you, I will take measures if you don't -"

Then he dissolved into laughter and only Leon's arm kept him from slipping to the floor in his boneless state. "That's for forcing me to become a veggie," the human said, satisfied and then left the spot alone to cuddle D.

"I am not your teddybear," the kami protested, closing his eyes and smiling.

"Well, it's not intended for you anyway," Leon parried. "I'm cuddling my kid, not you. You only happen to be in the way with being around it."

Laughing so hard his body shook, D managed to get a hold of the water bottle Leon had left on the table. It ended with both of them soaked to the skin and laughing so loud the pets felt compelled to check in on them.

* * *

**A/N: **x: Thanks for your concern :-) Well, I'm better now, that's all that matters, isn't it? (although I do still have marks from the IV -.-) Well... you're right about the biology class, but taking into consideration that D has probably only learned what a kami body usually does and his is (as we know) degenerated, it's perhaps not too far-fetched that some things might come as a surprise to him. It'll probably get better in time ^^ I mean, he's already been pregnant once, so everything concerning that should be pretty much the same... or not? ;-)


	28. Ms Livingstone and Other Curiousities

**Ms. Livingstone and Other Curiousities…**

Leon slept very long the next day, and when he woke, he took his time bathing and getting rid of all the sweat his rather extensive sickness had caused yesterday. From D he found a message on the table, telling him that he and the children were in one of the rooms, and that he was to drink the tea on the kitchen table.

He did as he was told and then went to the room to have a look at what his family was doing. It wasn't easy to find the pool where they were, and he startled and froze in shock when suddenly the bushes around him started to rustle threateningly.

"D?" he called out, trying to see through the leaves. The kami's voice answered in the distance, but the bushes made it impossible to understand what he was saying.

Then suddenly they split and Tetsu jumped upon him with a roar. "I'M GONNA COOK YOU, HUMAN!" he screamed. Leon cried out in shock and surprise.

Without giving him time to recover, the totetsu started to bind his arms and legs together, aided by – Leon looked closer – Pon-chan in some very dirty clothes. "What the hell?" he said, baffled, and was nudged rather hard by Tetsu.

"Be quiet, food!" the goat-tiger growled and easily hoisted him up, making Leon wonder how he could ever have thought that Tetsu was harmless. He was definitely stronger than Leon was.

They went through the bushes and ended up on a little clearing where Chris, Dana, Honlon and Ten-chan were sitting beside a fire. Jamie was on Dana's lap and she was showing him how to braid long grass stalks. Not that he was going to be able to do it himself, but he nevertheless was fascinated.

"We found food," Tetsu grunted and set Leon to the ground. Chris looked back, blushed and jumped up, immediately taking the bonds from his brother's hand and feet. "I'm sorry!" he stammered. "We were just playing, Brother!"

"Yeah, I noticed," Leon replied and looked around. His daughter squealed and waved at him. "Hi Daddy! We're explorers and we've just discovered a native tribe! They're cannibals!"

"Wonderful, Miss Livingstone," her father ached and got up, holding his back. "Where's D, you lot?"

"He's in the pool over there," Chris replied and pointed in the direction. "Are you better today? Tetsu said you were pretty sick last night."

The blonde glared at the snickering totetsu. "Did he. Yeah, I'm better now, thanks, Chris. I'll just go ahead to D."

"Okay." They turned back to their game. Just as Leon left the clearing, he heard the sound of a drum and loud howling and looked back to see all kids dancing around the fire while Ten-chan was holding James and Tetsu was drumming. The fox smiled down on the small boy with almost fatherly affection.

A thrill flashed down Leon's spine, and he turned to fight his way to the pool. D was in the middle and waved to him, then swam closer to the rim, his eyes curious. "What are they doing there?" he asked, a little worried.

"Playing explorer, I think. Except Tetsu, he's playing himself," Leon replied dryly. D laughed and started to swim along the rim of the pool. "Well, as long as they won't hurt anyone…"

"I doubt they are, as long as I am here. And I hope that at least you would forestall my becoming lunch." Leon followed his way around the pool. "Are you sure you should go bathing like that, D? I mean, doesn't hot water cause spontaneous abortions?"

D turned onto his back and watched the human with glittering eyes. "If you are human, yes, you have to be careful. But I am not human."

Leon had to admit that D's yet slim figure in the water looked very enticing. He suspected D was doing it on purpose – turning, dipping his head underwater, his body as graceful as a dolphin's.

Finally he knelt down at the rim and D came, hovering in the water in front of him, his eyes big, his face shining with water drops. Leon gulped. "Dirty play," he murmured as he leant forward, mesmerised by D. The kami blinked up at him.

"Not really," he whispered, extending one hand and tugging at Leon's collar. "And I could sue you for the same. What with those jeans?"

He poked one finger into the hole over Leon's knee playfully, sending a shiver down the human's spine. Unconsciously he leaned closer to D. The kami smiled, captured his lips – and then got underwater, pulling Leon with him. He surfaced again at once, sputtering, to find D laughing at him, his eyes twinkling merrily. Leon shook water and strands of hair out of his eyes and gritted, "You bastard!" out. Then he started following D.

The kami was of course by far the better swimmer, and Leon was hindered by his clothes, but it was worth the fun when he finally caught up to D at the other end of the pool, right in front of the small waterfall that brought the hot water down from above. Which was more due to D slowing down to allow him to catch up than Leon's swimming skills, but nevertheless the blonde triumphantly yelled "Gotcha!", causing D to laugh even more.

"You should really swim more often," he said as he took Leon's hand to help him out of the pool and into the small cave that was half hidden by the waterfall. "It flatters you. Even clothed."

His eyes twinkled and Leon shook his head. "Of course. So, what are we gonna do now that we're here?"

"I thought you'd have plenty of ideas as to how to take advantage of the situation," D murmured, coming closer and gently nipping at Leon's ear. "I distantly recall that you were more imaginative the last time we were in a cave…"

"Right," Leon murmured, his throat suddenly dry. "Only that circumstances then were a little different to now…"

"Which is… rather fortunate, don't you think so?" D's hands slipped under his wet T-shirt and caressed the skin there. Leon grinned. "Right you are, Count D."

Good thing that one of them was already quite naked. It made the fact that Leon's wet clothes proved to be quite stubbornly clinging to him less irritating. D, anyway, seemed more amused by them as the human could discern from his continuous giggling.

"Behaving like a schoolgirl today or what?" he murmured, wrapping his arms around D and pressing the kami to his body so that his arms were trapped between them. D looked up at him, the eyes wide and dancing in his face. He couldn't seem to contain his hilarity.

"I never went to any kind of school, Leon," he said and took care of Leon's zipper.

"Well, perhaps you should. I bet you'd look great in those uniform skirts." Leon grinned and squawked as D's grip on him suddenly got a little too tight for comfort.

"But I doubt that would be a good idea," the kami murmured, his voice dropping low. "After all, in the not too far future, you might be accused of molesting a schoolgirl then… with quite obvious proof…"

"And what would the charge be?" Leon's head fell forward to D's shoulder as his hands relished in the smooth skin of the other's body. "That I seduced a teenaged, twenty-years-older'n-me nature spirit, who, if I may mention this, went along quite willingly?"

D's soft laughter vibrated through both their bodies, close as they were to each other. Leon stopped petting his lover for a moment just to listen to the way the sound rumbled through his body. This had to be happiness.

"Well, I guess I wouldn't come far with my charge…" D's head was bent back by the sheer enthusiasm with which Leon suddenly kissed him. He went with it, then pulled back when Leon let go for breath, his head tilted to the side, question in his eyes. "Leon?"

"I love you," the human breathed, squeezing him so tightly D nearly lost his breath. The mismatched eyes spoke a thousand words, although D himself apparently wasn't quite able to do so.

So instead, Leon went for another kiss…

"Well, well, children, now this is practical sexual education," drawled Ten-chan's voice behind them. They nearly jumped a foot up in the air and apart while the fox bent over in laughter.

"God, Ten-chan!" Leon exclaimed angrily, while D pressed a hand over his heart and breathed quickly. "Dammit, what are you doing here?" His eyes flew around and took in the whole cave. "Where are the kids?"

Ten-chan turned, smirking, and let Dana in. She stopped and took in her fathers' appearance with a wrinkled brow. "Why are you having sex again?" she asked, looking put out. "Bàbà is already pregnant!"

Ten-chan broke down with laughter.

* * *

D sighed as he went into his bedroom, quietly closing Dana's door behind him and deciding that next time, he wouldn't let the children get out of his sight with only Tetsu and Ten-chan as guardians.

Yet he already knew while thinking it that he would. He just couldn't help it; sometimes he wanted to have his peace. Without Lin and Jill as help, this was as good as impossible if he didn't want to leave them with the pets. He was anyway astounded at how well it worked, despite his former objections (well, apart from that little… incident this afternoon). But perhaps that was why Ten-chan refused to change his shape back to his true nature…

He slowly undressed and hung his clothes up in the cupboard before he sat down in front of the dressing table and absent-mindedly brushed his hair. The door went again; Leon entered and smiled at him. "Well, day done?" he asked softly and came to stand beside D. He wordlessly smiled up at him. The human traced a hand over his shoulder, just the fingertips, dark against the milk-white skin.

"Get ready for bed," D whispered, smiling, and stood to make way for Leon, who sent a glance at the ceiling, but smiled, too. D lumbered in his bedroom; he went here and there, stroking a plant, petting a tree, before he finally ended up in front of the small pool Dana liked so much. He stood at the rim and looked down into the dark water, his own reflection clearly visible on the calm surface. Turning to the side, he slowly stroked his hands over his belly, feeling and testing. He could see it. Not much, there wasn't anything really _visible_ yet, but there was – something.

Quiet steps neared. Leon stepped up behind him and smiled at their reflection in the water. His hands went to the belly, too, and slowly stroked D's skin. "Hey, you're starting to bulge," the blonde whispered right into his ear, making D shiver slightly. He covered the bigger hands with his own and chuckled softly.

"I am going to bulge quite a lot soon, Leon. A baby is quite big and my belly doesn't offer much room yet."

Leon smiled down on their bulge, a dreamy expression in his eyes. "I like you bulging," he mumbled and blushed. "Where is the baby?"

D hid a smile and felt around his body. Finally he took Leon's fingers and lightly placed them just a little left to his navel. "Now he is right under your fingers," he said.

Leon smiled and stroked the place. "Are you sure it's gonna be a he?" he asked.

"Well, I hope so." D caught Leon's gaze in the water. "Is something the matter, Leon?"

The human shifted from one foot to the other, looking down at the floor. "Yeah – I mean, no, not really…"

"What is it?" D asked firmly, turning around fully now and making the blonde look at him. Leon met his eyes with a sheepish look on his face.

"I – it's not that it's really bothering me, you know, but it's just – you are…" He took a deep breath. "Dana's calling you 'Dad', isn't she?"

D, much to his relief, understood the problem at once and smiled softly. "Yes, she is, Leon. Is it that what is bothering you? That she has two fathers instead of a 'father' and a 'mother'?"

"Well, you also said something – when you… realised. About us becoming grandparents one day," the human mumbled and sat down on a soft spot of grass. D followed close and sat down beside him, looking at his hands.

"Yes, I know. I am – Leon, we cannot be sure that Dana will be able to have children on her own. I'm sorry," he added quickly when he saw the look on Leon's face. "Leon, believe me, I would love to know myself, but I just don't know – how much human and how much kami she really is… and depending on that, she might or might not be unable to have children in the future…"

Leon played with his hands. "Do you – is there a way your species tells if someone is male or female? I mean, I know that Dana is female in the human sense – I've changed her diapers often enough to know that. But how does that work with you? I mean, what's your definition of gender? Is the one who gets fucked female or how does that work?"

D sighed and thought for a moment before speaking slowly. "I am a father although I gave birth to the child because I chose to be her father rather than her mother. My species' custom says that an adult has the right to determine his gender himself if he wishes to. That I actually chose one gender for myself and identified myself as a male was due to the fact that I am living amongst humans, who want to know about such things. Back then, I deemed that a 'male lifestyle' would be better for me – give me more freedom, allow me more liberties. It was a choice I made out of clear reasoning, and when Dana was born, I simply… I guess I had become so used to being a 'man' by then, in the human sense, that I never considered being a 'mother'."

"But why do you play with it all the time then?" Leon asked, looking straight at D. The kami blinked. "You're – I don't know how to describe it, but you aren't – 'male'. You ain't male the way I'm male. Or most of the other guys I know. You play with people not knowing what you really are."

"Do I?" D smiled softly. "Yes, maybe. I would rather say that I play with everything, starting with my unknown gender to the eccentrics people expect from me."

"Do you like that? Playing with people's heads?" The blue eyes were open and questioning. He couldn't lie to them.

"Yes. Most of the time, I do. The way they jump to conclusions, the way they take clichés for real… it amuses me. But sometimes I think…" He stopped and sighed softly. "Would I still be living only amongst my pets and my grandfather, I would be just me. Both genders, neither gender, or whatever you want to call it; shopkeeper or not; mysterious or not…" Now he smiled a little crookedly. "You are right. I cannot be sure if the new child will be as easily determined as Dana. She in fact never was a problem in that respect. She has always been 'female' in the human definition, since the first time I could feel her developing a specific gender."

"You can feel that?" The blonde looked truly baffled now; his jaw was hanging half open. D giggled and closed it with a hand.

"Yes, I can feel that. I can feel my child growing in me, Leon. I feel it as much as you can feel your arms, legs or any other of the limbs you consciously use."

"That's – uh – cool?" Leon's face told that he wasn't too sure about that. D laughed again and pushed him back on the grass, crawling on top of him and sitting there with glittering eyes.

"Yes, it is," he purred. "So do not worry about the baby's gender yet. I will be able to tell you in due time so you can get used to it."

"So, uh, but you want a boy, then…?"

D's eyes burned with a deep, hidden fire. "Oh yes," he murmured, turned and pressed himself as close as he possibly could. "I sincerely hope you have given me a son."

Leon looked surprised, both by the words and the sudden hunger in them. "Why do you want a son?" he asked, confused. "Is this something about giving birth to my heir or what? 'Cause you know, I don't care about _that_…"

His voice trailed off when D wrapped one long leg around his waist and claimed his mouth in a wild kiss. "Yes, it is about giving birth to your heir. We already have an heiress, but there's no heir to match her." D closed his eyes and shivered. "Girls are different heiresses than boys. And I want to give you a son."

His movements suggested urgency, so Leon dropped his questions and decided to ask his lover later, when D would at least be able to respond in complete sentences that made sense, too.

"Do you really think boys are better than girls?" he dared to ask after, D snuggled into his arms comfortably, even purring quietly. Surprised, the kami opened one eye and blinked at him. "What on earth made you think that I differ between girls and boys, being who I am?"

Leon shrugged carefully, trying not to kick D's head off his shoulder. "You said it. More or less. You said you want a son 'cause they're different."

D blinked in surprise, then his face dissolved and he laughed. "Oh Leon, but different doesn't mean 'worth less'. You little silly, I just want a boy because you are a man. If you were a woman, I would want your daughter. It's that simple. If you were of my species, that problem wouldn't present itself, but since you are a human and Dana is most certainly a girl… I want to know what your son will be like."

Leon snorted in amusement. "You want my son 'cause you think he's gonna be more like me than Dana? I'd think she's pretty much enough work. You've got no guarantee that a boy will be more like me than she."

"Yes, but you will teach your son different things than you teach Dana." D put a finger over Leon's lips before he could protest. "Emancipation and equality are great and good and necessary, but girls and boys aren't the same. It's okay to treat them differently. You wouldn't treat Jill like the chief either, would you?"

"No, but that's – different!" Leon protested, finally. "That's not because she's a woman, but because they're completely different to each other…"

His voice trailed off as he looked into D's smiling mismatched eyes. "Okay, think I got it. The baby's gonna be an individual, too, only a boy individual."

"And a very special one, too," D asserted. "Do not worry too much, Leon. I'm sure you will be a great father to a…"

He stopped abruptly, his face taking on a stunned expression. In sudden fear Leon grabbed his hand. "D?"

He couldn't stop his voice from suddenly shaking, he didn't know why himself. It just did.

D's mouth opened slightly, then his whole body suddenly – cramped…

For a moment it was almost as if Leon could hear a loud thumping sound coming from D's body, which seemed to pulse along with it.

Then he lay completely still, his eyes shining brighter than Leon had ever before seen.

"D?" he whispered, for some reason feeling like he had just witnessed some kind of miracle. D slowly looked up at him, his smile outshining the sun.

"Leon," he whispered back. "Leon, the heart – the child's heart just started to beat."

* * *

"This is a rare occurrence." Ten-chan favoured both of them with a curious look; he seemed almost envious. "That one feels the heart starting to beat… I've only heard about that happening trice before."

Leon smiled at his lover, who still wore a slightly surprised expression. "Well, I couldn't, but he could."

"Congratulations."

The door opened, cutting Ten-chan off, who quickly dried his hands and hurried out. The next moment they heard Jill's voice. "Oh, hi Ten! I'm just here to drop Jamie…"

"Hi Jill. Hey, Jamie, my boy, how are you today?" Ten-chan answered. The baby and the heartbeat were forgotten as both listened to the conversation in the parlour. "Oh, you're wearing your nice T-shirt with the foxes again!"

"Yeah, he likes it so much," Jill answered, sounding a little embarrassed. "We got it from my mum. Don't you think it's a little bit – weird?"

"Not at all." They could hear Jamie squealing. "I think he looks fabulous in it. Not that he wouldn't look fabulous anyway, thanks to his genes."

"Oh, don't start with this again." The woman sounded more embarrassed now. "I'm not that good-looking, and anyway, he does have a father, although that one never cares for him."

"I'm nevertheless sure he inherited more from you. Actually, he did. Did you know that every child inherits more DNA from its mother than its father? Sperms don't contain mitochondria, 'cause that'd slow them down too much, so the baby gets those from its mother. Basically that means that Jamie is more your child than Alex Donovan's. He's got more of your DNA."

Leon snorted, but D signalled him to be quiet while he listened to Jill's response. "Wow. No, I didn't know that, but I rather like it. Don't you, too, Jamie? Yes, you do, 'cause my DNA is far better than that of your father who hasn't even seen you twice in his life, the idiot."

"I'm sure Jamie won't mind his father being such an idiot, considering how lucky he is with his mother."

Leon couldn't stand it anymore, he started laughing quietly. "Boy, if he's not hitting on Jill, I don't know shit about hitting on someone!" he whispered to D, who smiled wordlessly. "Sorry, I know you rather like it, but still – do you really want Jill to hook up with a _fox_? Even if he's nine-tailed, he's still…"

"Ten-chan is, as I have explained to you numerous times, a shapeshifter. He doesn't even use his fox shape at the moment. He is as human as you are."

The blonde favoured him with a suspicious look. "Yeah, apart from the fact that his ears are _pointed_, D. And his braid reaches almost to the _floor_. And he looks like he's _sixteen_. Jill's gonna be arrested for child molesting if she really hooks up with him."

D didn't get to answer, because Jill burst into the kitchen then, her cheeks slightly red and her eyes shining. "Leon, are you ready? Come _on_, we have a lot to do today!" she pressed. He stood quickly and grabbed his things.

"Yeah, alright, I'm coming. Bye, D, and take care, you hear me?"

The kami's response was rather miffed, but drowned in Jill's comment. "Leon, truly, how old do you think D is? You don't have to mother-hen him just because you're back to being his boyfriend, you know."

Ten-chan and D stood in the door and watched them walking to the precinct, squabbling with each other. Then the kami turned to his unofficial pet.

"Do you really mean this?" he asked, his eyes hard. Ten-chan pressed a kiss to Jamie's small head and then looked up at his master with shining eyes. He didn't need to say anything; D could read the answer on his face, and in a sudden bout of joy, he embraced Ten-chan.

* * *

**A/N:** anonymous: Taken in the best way possible *lol* You're probably right, you know? I mean, seriously, trusting an author is always rather... well, naive in a way... ;-) If you're biased on this issue, I'm too. I also wish that would be possible. Thank you for the compliment on Leon & Carter :-) Glad you enjoyed that scene (but they probably would've ended up in front of the Chief's desk had they really started boxing... don't think he'd not be bothered by that xD )


	29. Of Course There Are Problems!

**Of Course There're Problems Right Around the Corner!**

When it at first started hurting, D almost panicked. It was shortly after midday, Leon had just left in a hurry for the precinct again, having just stopped by for a second to make sure D was alright, thoroughly upsetting the kami with his exaggerated care. He'd started to clear the table away when suddenly a sharp pain shot through his whole body.

With a gasp, he broke down to his knees, an all-too familiar panic sweeping through him. "No!" he cried out, dropping the plate he'd just taken and pressing both hands to his belly. His mind raced while he curled up into a small ball. Why now? He wasn't as far yet, he'd eaten enough, the nausea had gone to Leon _days_ ago…

The seconds went by, stretching into eternity, as he bit his lip, trying not to scream, curling up on the floor. But that wasn't the same pain…

"D!" Leon broke through the door, wild and worried. "Oh god, D!"

The young kami grabbed his arm, driving his nails into the flesh. Leon didn't even notice. "D! What's the matter? Tell me you're okay!"

His voice bordered on hysteria. D whimpered and cried out in pain, causing Leon to freak out. "D!" he yelled, cradling the kami to his chest. Something in said kami's body made a strange sound, almost as if it was breaking. Then D relaxed completely, his head falling back. His eyes were glazed over and he licked his suddenly dry lips.

"I am alright," he whispered, finally loosening his hands and reaching for the blonde, who caught them anxiously.

"Tell me you're okay. Tell me the baby's okay," he pleaded, blue eyes wide with fear.

D managed to pick himself up with his help, shaking his head like a wet kitten for a second. "He is fine, Leon. He is fine, I am fine, there is no reason to worry. Calm down, please." He uncurled one slender hand and laid it on his belly, exactly where he knew the little life was growing in his body. It pulsed, undisturbed by the outer events. "In fact, he hasn't even taken notice of what just happened, I think."

He sighed, half in relief and half because it had indeed hurt very much. "My body chose to change, that is all. Do not aggravate yourself."

"Not aggravate myself?" Leon cursed and let go of D to punch the sofa, which caused a raised eyebrow. "Dammit, D! Pon-chan comes running after me in a panic and tells me you're losing the kid, and you tell me not to be worried? Fuck you!"

"You may, but not today, please. This was very unexpected, Pon-chan couldn't know it would happen, and I fear it was very similar to when I nearly lost Dana."

The last traces of pain vanished and he was finally able to concentrate on his lover again. What he saw in the blue eyes was enough to make him swap from snooty speeches to honest words. "Leon, please. I am not going to die, and I will not lose the child either."

"You can't promise that," Leon said, his voice thick. "You just can't. Not even you know what can go wrong, and you said yourself that you don't know much about kami pregnancies. You said yourself you did a lot wrong with Dana."

"But she still lived and doesn't have any defects," D reminded him softly and rested his head on Leon's shoulder. "Trust me, please, Leon. As long as my body is strong, I can take care of the baby, too." He took the human's hands and placed them over the little life, wishing Leon was as perceptive as he was, so he could feel for himself what D was feeling; the steady pulse of the baby's heart that vibrated through his body the whole time since it had started beating. He knew the child was fine, but how could he convey that to Leon, who wasn't part of this feeling?

Again he regretted the missing bond. Would they share one, nothing of this would have been an obstacle…

And he also knew that his words to Leon were not wholly true. He supposed that everything was alright, but he just had Dana's pregnancy to compare this here with, and hers had been… very different, to say the least. With Dana, he hadn't even noticed that he had been pregnant before he had reached the fourth month of pregnancy, and now he only was in the second. It all progressed so much faster than with Dana, and although he wasn't quite frightened by it, he was… discomforted. He knew that a real kami pregnancy would by now look very different, too, because the child would already be born just a month from now on.

Leon could read the thoughts on his face. He sat down with an exhausted sigh. "D, we have to do something. Just check if everything's alright."

"I won't go to a doctor."

"I know." Leon's voice was soft and sounded uncomfortable. "But there has to be someone who knows about kami pregnancies – knows about you."

D gave a short laugh and sat down beside Leon. "Yes, of course. Grandfather."

The human glanced at him. "And?"

"He doesn't even know I am pregnant, at least if he didn't spy on the shop."

Leon gaped for a moment. "You didn't tell him?"

"No, I didn't," D said defensively. "And I recall that you didn't like him treating Dana's arm either."

Leon let out a deep breath and tried to think when he'd seen Q-chan the last time. Much to his surprise, he suddenly realised that the visit had only been four months ago. It seemed like much longer, in retrospect. Four months.

"He isn't Mary," the kami continued talking, quietly. "He will be rather displeased with the developments, I fear."

"It's not as if Aunt Mary was that happy about the new baby," Leon remarked dryly, recalling his aunt's reaction when Chris had blurted the news out. "Rather the contrary."

D sighed and got up. "Yes, I know. But Grandfather is still – different. It is not only that he won't approve of what I did, it's also…" He stopped and bit his lower lip. Then he obviously made a decision. "Well, I will tell him sometime soon. You truly do not have to worry, Leon. I am alright. In fact, I feel good enough to go out and have some cake at a nice café. And you should leave for work now, before you really are too late."

He pushed the human out of the shop, called the children from the back and stowed Jamie in his cart. Ten-chan, Tetsu and Pon-chan got to come along, and the fox insisted on pushing the cart while D took the other two children by the hand.

He could only assume what picture they presented when they strolled down the street to one of his favourite cafés, and tried hard not to snap at some gapers. Yes, he knew he'd made himself rather rare again, especially since the pregnancy, but he had been trying to attend at least some social events – tea and gossip at Mrs. Chang's shop, for example, although he had missed last week's instalment, due to a rather nasty fight between Dana and Honlon. He couldn't help the fact that he was a parent now – and that parents tended to spend more time with their children than with gossiping, middle-aged women.

It didn't matter as much as it had before. Aside from the conflict with the Shao family, he'd had no other problems with anyone. His heart wasn't in pursuing those acquaintances anymore.

With the exception of a few people.

"Count, why, how nice to see you here!" Yi Jonas stopped and smiled at him. So did Mrs. Chang, who was accompanying her. "We haven't seen you out of the shop for ages!"

"I only missed last week," he protested, smiling back and making an inviting gesture. "Would you care to join us?"

"Yes, thank you very much." Chris made way for them, then helped Dana scoot her chair to the side so that Mrs. Jonas could sit down beside her. She smiled at the girl, who looked at her with big eyes. "She becomes more beautiful every time I see her, Count," she said warmly. "She is going to be quite the beauty when she is grown."

"Thank you very much. How are your children? And your husband? I hear his new book is selling quite well, isn't it?" D returned the favour at once. Yi Jonas smiled and they started talking, while Mrs. Chang curiously questioned Chris about school and his friends and family. D kept an ear to them, afraid of Chris spilling something he shouldn't, but the boy was a little suspicious and rather monosyllabic.

Dana was busy with her cake, and Pon-chan took care that she couldn't concentrate on anything else.

They left the café when the children started to become fidgety and took a walk in the park. D could talk more freely there, since the children were busy running around and playing and most of the time out of immediate hearing range.

Inevitably as the sun the talk turned towards the Shao family. The trials had begun and Mrs. Chang knew already that a lot more of those who were employed in Shao businesses had begun to stand up, thus revealing more and more of the real business.

"Thanks to you, Count," Yi Jonas said with a chuckle. "Lin was rather popular, and that you helped her escape to Europe hitched you quite some sympathy amongst her friends."

D smiled innocently. "I, Mrs. Jonas? I cannot remember any such thing."

Both women laughed. "Deny it all you want, Count, she was seen running down to your shop the night she disappeared," Mrs. Chang said. "Poor little girl, she really suffered a lot from her mother. And she herself was such a nice girl – did you know that she coached children whose parents couldn't afford private lessons for free?"

"No, I didn't," D replied, rather surprised by this. "I barely know anything about her. Dana and James liked her very much, but that is all."

"She was rather old-fashioned sometimes, and she was -" Yi Jonas delicately cleared her throat, "- well, _in love with you_ is rather too strong a word, but she thought very highly of you."

"Did she?" D said quietly and looked at Dana and Tetsu on the lawn. Chris was chasing Pon-chan, who had stolen his cap.

"Well, I think we all know that she was not happy about Detective Orcot, but very few people are happy about him, if you excuse me saying this so bluntly," Mrs. Chang stated. "I cannot say that I'm very happy about him either, but he's your choice and your affair. He has never been unfriendly to me; well, in the American view, at least. He is in fact a rather friendly man, and if one sees him with his brother or Dana, he is rather warm-hearted."

D almost raised his eyebrow at those words; Mrs. Chang was one of the most curious people in whole Chinatown. She had quite a reputation for knowing almost everything about everyone.

On the other hand, she also had a reputation for not using those secrets she knew against anyone in order to cause harm. She just wanted to _know_.

Yi Jonas seemed to read his mind; she smiled and shrugged, the gesture saying 'What can we do about it? There have to be people like her.'

D agreed, but still.

"Her disappearance was a rather hard blow to the Shaos, believe me," Mrs. Chang continued. "Then this terrible scandal with this cave – Mrs. Shao has been very busy ever since." She glanced at D. "And rather angry, Count."

"Well, the detective's car is in one piece again, if I have observed right," Yi Jonas said, her eyes twinkling. "Perhaps next time she will damage it herself, then the police would at least have a reason to arrest her."

"Does it stand that badly for them?" the young kami inquired, baffled. As far as he got to know via Jill and Leon, the investigation went rather slowly, also because Carter was on to it alone now that it officially was closed.

Both women nodded in response to his question and Yi Jonas started to enlighten D on the results the Poison Cave affair had had on the business of the family. Several of their customers had cancelled their contracts, almost half of the staff of one factory had been arrested, and more and more was coming forward every day.

"Not surprisingly," she said, indicating a young Chinese couple that was sitting on a picnic blanket. "She is rather tyrannical, both at home and in business. Since last year, since the family became so strong, it became more and more obvious that it isn't her husband who is the head of the family, but she, and there are some who think she is claiming a place that isn't hers. She even went as far as to fire her housemaid, just because the girl was flirting with her nephew. They're sitting over there."

D looked in the direction of the couple and suddenly noticed that a man was standing there, too, half-hidden behind a tree. His eyes weren't on the couple – they were on D. Now they flickered to the children, seemed to suck in their sight. A shudder suddenly crossed D's frame.

"Are you cold?" Yi Jonas asked, worried. "You know that you have been rather pale the last few weeks, Count? I was starting to get worried about you. You ate so little last time we had tea together."

The kami shook himself and smiled at her, his heart beating fast in his chest. "Why, thank you, but I am alright, I assure you. Just a little strained. You know what children are like – sometimes it can be rather chaotic with them."

"And with that detective, not to forget," Mrs. Chang added and they went on to discuss Leon's status in Chinatown.

After ten minutes or so, D called the children back to him. He wanted to have them near.

* * *

"We have been invited to tea by Mrs. Jonas," D informed Leon that evening, rather absent-minded while he was sorting papers on his desk. The blonde leaned back and looked at him. "Okay. When?"

"Sunday afternoon. She said we are welcome to take the children along. Her daughter and her children will be there, too."

"I didn't know she had kids."

"Yes, she does, two sons and a daughter. They are all married already."

Leon whistled. "Wow, she looks good for her age then!"

D glanced at him and smiled. "She does indeed. Say, Leon, when you walk through Chinatown lately, is there anything – strange?"

"Strange in which way?" Leon returned the question and D sat down in front of him. "I do no know. I was informed today that our abduction of Lin apparently made us popular with the crowd again."

Leon gaped for a moment. "It did? Wow. I rather thought they'd hate us even more for that."

"As did I," D admitted and stared at the ceiling, too. "I haven't been keeping track of everything as I used to. Things changed rather fast in the last few months."

"Huh." Leon looked at his lover and got a bad feeling in his stomach. The question was if the momentary mood would play out for or against them.

* * *

"Orcot, it's great to see you again!"

Patrick Jonas shook Leon's hand with considerable enthusiasm, then turned to D and the kids. Chris, Leon noticed with amusement, had not taken cover behind D or him like he usually did when encountered with strangers, even friendly strangers. Instead he was eyeing the professor with interest, as was Dana. She extended a hand from D's arms and Patrick Jonas took it at once, giving it a sincere shake. "Dear me, my mistake. I'm sorry, Dana. Ladies first, isn't it?"

Leon snorted and D had to bite back a smile, too. He let Dana finish hand-shaking, then bowed to Patrick Jonas. "Thank you very much for your invitation, Mr. Jonas," he said formally. The man laughed and ushered them inside. "You're welcome, Count. Yi is still in the kitchen, I think. Heavens help that anything should not be perfect for your visit. And this is the famous other Orcot, isn't it?" he added, finally turning to Chris. "Hello, Christopher. It's Christopher, isn't it? I'm Patrick Jonas."

"Uh, I'm usually called Chris, Mr. Jonas," the boy said, blushing slightly as he shook hands with their host. Leon could feel his heart swell with pride and he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Yeah, Christopher is too long for daily use," he added. "In the time it takes to shout 'Christopher, Dana, away from there!' they've already done whatever they weren't supposed to do."

Chris looked like he was about to pout, but Patrick Jonas only smiled at him. "Well, then it's good your brother's name is even shorter, isn't it?" He winked at Chris and the boy giggled. "Besides, you don't need to call me Mister. It makes me feel old and pompous. Just call me Jonas, like your brother does. Now, the dining room is here to the left, if you would just follow me…"

Just as they entered, Yi Jonas appeared, her daughter at her side, beaming with joy. "Count D, Detective Orcot, how nice of you to come," she said as she bowed to them. "I don't think you have already met my daughter – Li, this is Count D, his daughter Dana and Detective Orcot." Then she spotted Chris and laughed happily. "Oh, so you did bring him along! And this is the detective's brother Chris. How are you doing, Chris?"

"Fine, thank you. And you?" Chris replied dutifully, making the adults smile.

"So well-mannered!" Yi sighed. "I wish my grandchildren were like that…"

"Ma!" Li protested, but there was a definite twinkle in her eyes. "You cannot compare their behaviour towards you to Chris's. He's not your grandson."

"Which reminds me of my grandchildren. Where are they, Li?" Patrick Jonas cut in. His daughter went to the door and called out while Yi seated everybody at the table, slipping both Dana and Chris a treat while D wasn't looking.

With four children and five adults at the teatime became quite noisy, but nobody seemed to mind anyhow. Nobody became angry, either, when Li's younger son, about the same age as Dana, dropped his teacup and the tea spilled all over his mother's skirt. Dana was fascinated by this, and by the boy, and kept watching him with wide eyes. The grown-ups followed her tentative attempts to catch his attention with amusement and had to hide their laughter when Liang finally deigned to take notice of the other little girl and not only his cake.

"I think they can get up now if they want to, can't they, Ma?" Li asked with twinkling eyes and set her boy to the floor, where he stood for a moment, considered, and then walked over to Dana's chair.

"Yes, of course. What about you, Dana? Do you want to play with Liang?" the elder woman asked and received an enthusiastic nod. Leon helped Dana climb down from her chair, too, and they watched the two younger children sit down in front of each other. Their eyes held each other's.

Then Dana squealed.

Liang squealed back.

She squeaked.

He squeaked, too.

Leon almost died of a coughing fit. "Well, looks like they get along without talking," he remarked finally while the children continued to communicate via squeaks and squeals.

"Yes, indeed," Yi Jonas said and then quickly hid her chuckle, turning to Chris and the elder boy, Tao. "Tao, would you like to show Chris your new game?"

The boys looked at each other for a moment, obviously considering if they really wanted to make friends.

Then they decided that playing games together was the better option if the other included having to sit at the table listening to adult talk. "Sure," Tao said and slipped from his chair. "It's upstairs in my room. Well, actually, Wàigong's study, 'cause I get to sleep there while we're here. You wanna have a look?"

"Yeah," Chris replied, looked at his brother and at his nod vanished with Tao. Yi Jonas clapped her hands.

"Finally we're rid of the children!" she exclaimed, beaming, and earned an amused glance from both husband and daughter. "Now we can talk!"

Li laughed as she got up, too. "Yes, you talk, Ma, and I'll take those little squealers away so you can have some peace," she said, bending to tug Liang to his feet. "Dana, we have a pool in the garden, with lots of fish. Do you want to see it?"

"You ever noticed that Chris asks before he leaves while Dana just goes?" Leon said when they had walked out into the garden, and grinned at D. The kami sipped his tea and hid his smile.

"Yes, and I take it as proof that your influence on her education is not necessarily good," he teased.

"Yeah, then I just wonder why you let me take part in it at all…"

D's eyes smiled at him, before they became uncomfortably aware that the Jonas couple was watching them with interest and slight smiles on their faces.

"It's good to see that at least you two aren't bothered at all by the Chinatown gossip," Yi Jonas said softly. "You know, there are quite a lot of rumours flying around where you are concerned."

"Yi, let us not talk about that now, please," Patrick Jonas cut in, placing a hand over his wife's. "You shouldn't take everything people say so much to heart, you know?"

She blinked and was back to the happy hostess in a second. "As if you aren't interested in everything I can tell you," she teased, smiling, making him grin ruefully.

"Of course I am, dearest, but with me, it's professional interest, you know."

Leon snorted and D giggled at the of-course-my-dear look Yi Jonas gave her husband.

"Say, don't you ever become confused with those names?" Leon asked, taking another sip of tea. The couple turned to him and he nodded in the direction from which Li was calling for her son. "Li, Yi, Liang, it all sounds so much alike. Don't you ever get confused?"

"Oh, no, never," Yi Jonas replied and immediately started to explain Chinese names to Leon. In the middle of her explanation, a crash sounded from upstairs and Patrick Jonas hurriedly rose, murmuring something about "kids in the study, knew it was a bad idea!"

"And you see, Detective, my name really is a boy's name," Yi said with sparkling eyes. "I don't know why my parents gave me a boy's name."

"It rather fits you, Mrs. Jonas," D smiled, turning to Leon. "It means 'firm, resolute'. Perhaps they could already tell when you were born that you would become a strong woman."

She laughed and blushed like a girl, which was genuinely endearing to Leon. He really started taking a liking to this family. "Oh, Count, don't flatter me. You know, strong women are not always appreciated."

"I think your husband would have had a hard time finding a better wife than you," D said and her face glowed with both joy and love.

"You should tell him that next time he is angry at me for disturbing his writing process," she laughed, but everyone could see it wasn't meant seriously. "Well, Count, we both know what the dear Detective's name means, so that leaves yours open for discussion."

Leon's attention, which had been banned by the expression on Yi's face, snapped back to topic as he turned towards his mate, too. "Yeah, good question, D," he agreed. "So, what does it stand for?"

"You know, pronounced in the English way, the Chinese name De stands for virtue," Yi Jonas remarked, sipping her tea and scrutinising D, who sat on his chair with a secret smile and demurely clasped hands. Leon snorted. "Virtue?" he echoed. "Well, sorry to have to say that, but if that's the meaning, it doesn't really fi – ouch, D!"

Yi Jonas hid behind her teacup before she again looked up at the American, who was rubbing his arm with a sullen look on his face. "Well, so we can fairly rule that out, can't we? There are other explanations, of course. If we ask numerology and assume that the letter D is the fourth in the alphabet – at least, the Latin alphabet – it would represent balance and could also be associated with business." She half-smirked at the kami. "It also means that the one called D is tidy and orderly, but on the other hand stubborn and uncompromising."

"That fits better," Leon voiced and very quickly took his arm out of D's range. A rather wise move, since D's brow wrinkled at that. Yi Jonas continued.

"Since we are at Latin at the moment, D symbolises 500 in Roman numerals. In astronomy, D is a white dwarf stellar classification, but in the nomenclature for comets, it stands for 'destroyed' or 'disappeared'. There is the musical note D and D is also the international license plate code for Germany. _Deutschland_."

"Your pronunciation is very good," D murmured, still smiling amiably. Yi Jonas smiled at him. "Thank you, Count. I spent some time trying to learn German when my husband was obsessed with the Brothers Grimm. But you won't distract me from the fact that you still haven't answered my question. What does D in your case mean? Might it have anything to do with Japanese, I wonder?"

"Wàipó!" someone called from the door and they looked up to see Liang standing there. He rattled something off in Chinese and Yi smiled, getting up. "Excuse me for a second, please. Why don't you sit down in the sitting room? It's much more comfortable there than here."

They stood up while the woman disappeared with her grandson to fetch something for him. The dining room opened into the sitting room, which was airy and light. Leon shook his head as he took in the pictures on the walls. "They sure have a lot of money, don't they?" he said, half envying the family.

D stepped up beside him, looking at the picture, too. It showed lotus blossoms swimming on a lake. "Yes, Yi Jonas's family has a lot of money," he said quietly. "I doubt Patrick Jonas, authority or not, would be able to earn enough money to pay for all this. Yi Jonas is the descendant of a rather great Chinese dynasty, the Lián family. Lián Yi caused quite an uproar when she decided to marry an American, but her family was not only one of the first to come to America, but also one of those who are the most open-minded. After her parents agreed to the marriage, no one dared to protest further. At least not openly."

The human quickly glanced to the side, smiling at his mate. "Think I'm starting to understand why you like them so much," he murmured. "So, what's the Japanese connection with your name?"

"Are you still curious?" D's eyes twinkled as he tugged playfully at Leon's sleeve. Behind them the door went and Yi Jonas returned, kneeling down to set Liang to the floor at the door to the garden. "Leon, you do not have to know everything about me, you know. And my name and its meaning are nothing that could tell you more about me anyway."

Leon smiled. "Little secret-keeping bitch," he murmured and noticed that D's smile had lost its brightness, as well as the kami's face. He seemed to have – paled. "D? Everything okay with you?"

D swayed a little bit and Leon grabbed his arm, steadying the kami. "What's the matter with you, D?" he whispered, worried. Yi Jonas looked over and rose, too, sending Liang off with a pat. "Count, are you alright?" she asked and came over to them.

D smiled at her. "Yes, I am just – a bit dizzy today, it seems. Nothing serious," he quickly added, placating the woman. "Perhaps it is the weather."

Yi Jonas looked like she was about to raise an eyebrow, but instead she just went and got D a glass of water while Leon led him to a sofa, where D thankfully sat down. "I don't know what it is," he murmured quietly, so that only Leon could understand him. "I've been feeling dizzy for a few days – since the day after the heart started to beat…"

"D, are you sure everything's alright?"

The kami wanted to answer, but was cut off by Mrs. Jonas, who arrived with the water. He drank in tiny sips and then placed the glass on the small table. "Thank you very much. I feel much better now," he smiled.

Yi Jonas smiled back. "Well, if that is so, what do you think about going to my study? I bought a new picture last week, and I would love to hear your opinion on it…"

"That sounds great," D agreed with enthusiasm, while Leon tried not to grimace.

Lucky for him, Patrick Jonas had chosen that moment to enter and laughed at him. "It's every bit as boring as it sounds, Orcot," he said. "Mind you, it's not that I'm not interested in art, but I prefer the old masters, while Yi has quite a weakness for the more recent painters. I'd suggest going out and smoking."

"Great!" Leon said, heart-felt, causing the others to chuckle. While D disappeared with Yi, he and Patrick Jonas went out into the garden. Both were busy for a moment lighting their respective smoke, then Patrick took a deep drag and sighed in contentment. "Nothing like a cigar after all that sweet stuff," he said. "So, Orcot, how's it been going lately?"

They wandered through the rather large garden, talking about Leon's work, the professor's book, and then ended up with Chinatown. Leon told Patrick what D had said about Shao Lin and her family, and the older man puffed his cigar pensively.

"He may be right," he finally commented. "And he may be wrong. I'm sure the Count is quite wise and knows how to assess situations, but I'm not so sure he really knows everything going on in Chinatown. Yes, at the moment he is regarded as some kind of hero there, for helping Shao Lin. Nobody likes Shao Xi. She is respected, even feared, but not liked."

"What do you think is going to happen?" Leon asked flat out. Patrick Jonas took another drag. "I cannot say, Orcot. It all depends very much on what you will be doing. Everyone knows by now that you were deeply involved in Poison Cave, but the one who arrested the people was that FBI-agent. Most people I have been talking to regard your intervention as directed by the Count."

Leon snorted. "What? What do they think I am, some kind of puppet for the Count?"

"Actually, yes." Patrick Jonas let the smoke out, savouring it. "You are his husband. He is stronger. In their books, that makes you a puppet. Anyway," he added, seeing the look on Leon's face, "not that it matters. It's an American company that is most responsible; the Shaos are only involved because Shao Xi was too stupid to keep her hands off quick money. I think most rather appreciate her being brought low, even if only in silence. So just keep a low profile, try not to slight anyone and you should come out of this more or less unscathed."

"What do you mean, slight anyone?" Leon looked at the professor sharply. He weighed his head. "Well, that would require you taking a bit more care of your language – you surely know how to do that, some of the Count's lessons must have stuck – being polite whenever you meet someone Chinese in the streets and so on. Just show them that you aren't a traitor on Chinatown."

"A traitor on Chinatown?"

"Yes." The elder snipped his cigar away and lighted a new one. "Let the Count take you to a few social events and play the nice guy there. Most people hardly know you, they have just heard about you, so you might be able to score some points there. You know what I mean – just don't do anything socially unacceptable." He winked at him. "Which includes leaving the shop with hickeys clearly visible on your throat or trousers with a suspicious bulge."

The blonde blushed a deep red. "It's not my fault," he defended himself lamely. "D was in a mood that day."

"I know." The deep brown eyes sparkled in amusement. "But people tend to be offended by obvious signs of a healthy sexuality." He laughed softly. "Gods know I know about that – I will never forget the day my colleagues send me a delegate who, with the reddest ears you've ever seen and stammering like a twelve-year-old boy in love despite the fact that he was almost sixty and a grown man, asked me if it would be possible for me to wear long shirtsleeves, because my wrists had obviously caused quite some rumours amongst my students, which were considered improper at my faculty."

"Your wrists?" Leon asked, baffled.

Patrick Jonas nodded, chuckling. "We had two dogs at the time," he explained, showing Leon his wrists. They were slightly scarred. "Unfortunately, they weren't trained very well and every time someone went for a walk with them, they tugged at the leash until the skin ripped. Well, my students apparently attributed the marks those wicked dogs left to my sexual preferences. It didn't quite help that someone overheard Yi saying that she rather liked putting a leash on me. She was actually talking about my extensive cigarette consumption then, but once word got round, well…"

They both shook with laughter, then became serious again. Leon glanced at the other man as he lighted a new cigarette. "So that's what's offending them, yes?"

"It's one of the points that turn up rather frequently when you talk to them," Patrick Jonas allowed. "We all know that the Count is quite an alluring creature, but the fact that he actually might have some fun in bed is something most people resent – partly out of envy, partly because they believe that human hands will only soil him."

"Know someone else who'd jump right in with them," the blonde muttered and again looked at the professor. "So, say… theoretically speaking… what do you think would happen if – well, if D and I were to have another child?"

Patrick Jonas looked at Leon, long and hard. "Do you want my honest opinion, Orcot?" he said solemnly. "I think you would manage to split Chinatown in half. You already did, with your daughter, but that was kind of different; the Count hadn't given birth to her here in America. Besides, although he confirmed that Dana is your child, he never did so officially. Meaning, in front of more than five people."

He held up a hand to forestall Leon's protest. "Yes, I know, it's almost impossible _not_ to notice that she is your daughter. If nothing else, her eyes are the picture of yours. But still, you know what people are like. There are rumours, Orcot. Rumours that say that Dana isn't your daughter after all, that she is someone else's child and that the Count lured you into believing she is yours."

"That's ridiculous!" Leon protested. "I mean, whoever it would be, he would still have to be Caucasian. Dana just doesn't look like truly Asian."

"Well, what about that nice friend of yours, Miss Freshney," Patrick Jonas suggested with a smile. "She's very popular with the Chinatown crowd, in contrast to you, because she isn't only polite, but also pretty and speaks some Chinese. But truth be told, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that there is no proof your daughter really is your daughter. And if she isn't, then the Count would have won over you with an admittedly foul, but very effective trick. All this is about people wanting to feel that they have won over an American."

Leon was stunned into silence for a moment.

"Pretty racist, isn't it?" Patrick Jonas said, still smiling and took a puff. "Mind you, if you were Chinese, they would still find something to hold against you; if it wasn't your family, it would be your job which isn't traditional enough, or your attire, or you might lack respect for the elders… envy and the hunger for power are very strong forces, Orcot. Both run high in Chinatown, and the Count is the one who tips the scales. People still believe, on some level, that he as a god of their land, their country, can effect something, give them power or sack them if they aren't worthy of it. Why do you think it's so important for Mrs. Shao to have the Count in her family?"

"That's bullshit," Leon burst out. "Do they even _know_ what D _does_? Do they even know what he _is_?"

Patrick Jonas smiled. "No, Orcot, they don't. Because most people aren't very well read, and the tragic history of the Count's species can only be found in books most of them wouldn't even be able to read anymore. What they see is that Americans – people who are at the top of society, more often than not without really deserving to be there, are punished by him. And they believe. That's how religion works. It doesn't look very good on the record of a god if he suddenly turns and favours an enemy with his grace."

"If I'd known before…" the younger man grumbled and made Patrick Jonas laugh. He grabbed Leon's shoulder and squeezed it for a moment, held his eyes with his own. "Orcot, don't forget one thing, please: there is always someone who is thankful if someone else is courageous enough to stand up. Do something. Be different. There are always people who only realise that they have been living without meaning when someone else states an example. People need these courageous pathfinders, although they barely ever get credit for what they do."

Leon nodded silently, and they made their way back to the house where D was already waiting, Dana on his arms and Chris at his side. Leon smiled at their sight, his heart lightening a bit. He knew that what Patrick Jonas had told him was true.

But if he was completely honest, he didn't know if he had it in him to be one of those pathfinders.

* * *

**A/N: **hieiashke: Well, yes, seems like he is ^^ (but, let's be honest - who would seriously be sorry if he really mauled Alex Donovan?)

anonymous: xD He's Ten-chan. And seeing how he was pretty much able to fix Leon and D's relationship, convincing Jill to hook up with him is probably not that much of a problem for him... ;-) However, I guess Leon differs with you on the subject of his and Tetsu's relationship xD And yes, both Leon and D behave like dumbheads - and pretty often, too...

Thank you both for the review!


	30. You'll Find Assholes Everywhere

**You'll Find Assholes Everywhere**

"Get lost!"

Leon stopped, surprised by this unfriendly greeting, but then he realised that he hadn't been the one addressed by it. Alex Donovan stumbled out of their cubicle, a furious Jill at his heels. "And don't you dare turn up here again before you paid each and every cent!" she ranted. Alex bumped into Leon and turned round, eyes flickering in sudden fear.

"You better do what she says, asshole."

Alex pushed himself away from Leon as fast as he could and hissed. "You aren't going to tell me what I've gotta do, Orcot. Keep that asshole to yourself, it fits you perfectly." With that he stomped off, fuming with anger. The blonde watched him disappear, then he turned to Jill.

"He spent all his money for this month on a new couch and had to come to me to prevent my lawyer writing him another collection letter." She snorted. "A couch. He spends his money on furniture rather than on his son. I wonder what he'd do if I didn't earn my own money and couldn't sustain Jamie on my own. He'd starve to death, probably, poor kid."

From a safe distance, Alex Donovan was watching the two friends with hatred on his face. Leon said something that made Jill laugh. Without the angry wrinkles, she looked ten years younger and not at all like a single working mother.

"They really are taking their job seriously," someone remarked coolly at his side and he turned to Agent Carter.

"They? Always," he snarled. "For them the world's like sugar and honey, always something to laugh about, preferably someone. Someone at whose expense they can have their fun."

Carter regarded him silently for a moment. The young detective grinned at the FBI-agent. "But they aren't they only ones who can do that. You wanna see something funny?" he asked with glittering eyes. Carter raised an eyebrow, but didn't decline. He was curious what the former lover of Orcot's best friend would show him. It might provide information he needed…

Alex took the receiver and dialled in a number. The telephone in the next cubicle rang, and he went over to take the call. Carter followed him with a big crease in his forehead. "What's that going to be?" he started, but Alex put a finger to his lips and called out loud.

"Leon! Jill! Hey, any of you, it's the Count here on the phone!"

His colleagues, now standing at the coffee machine in the corridor, broke into a full run at once after exchanging a dreadful glance. Carter's eyebrows rose even further, but he couldn't suppress a mean grin. Someone was being protective here…

Alex, however, had gotten himself into trouble. Whatever else could be said about Leon and Jill, they weren't dumb and realised at once the younger detective had set them up. Jill's eyes were slits when she snatched the receiver away. "You bastard!" she hissed, and only Leon's hand saved Alex from being hit, but the blonde's glare was deadly, too.

"Don't, Jill, it's not worth the trouble with the chief!" he gritted out and stepped before his friend.

"You're not going to get away with that, believe me, asshole!" he told Alex quietly. "You think it's funny, yes? That Jill and I are worried 'bout our kids? Well, I really hope you're proud of yourself, bitch, since one of those kids is also yours, and if he wasn't Jill's also, I'd really hope something would happen to him, just so you know what it feels like!"

Alex shrugged, but took a careful step back. "Wouldn't faze me in the least," he stated brazenly. "I'm not as crazy for your son as you are!"

Leon growled low in his throat and snapped. "Fuck you, Alex, you know better'n anyone else who Jamie's dad is! C'mon, Jill, let's leave the asshole to his sick jokes!"

He grabbed his friend, who sent a last dagger glare at her former boyfriend and then followed her best friend out into the corridor again. Alex slumped against the desk and tried to grin, but it flickered for a moment. "Oh yeah, he's such a perfect father!" he jeered.

Carter leaned back in his chair and scrutinised the younger detective. "You don't particularly like Detective Orcot, do you?" he said casually.

Alex snorted and looked like he wanted to spit out. "Mr. Perfect," he said spitefully. "Oh yeah, everybody thinks it's sooo cool that he's got a kid with that cross-dressing fag! And that he's taking responsibility for his kid, though he never wanted her! Yeah, he's such a perfect guy, everybody just loves him!"

Carter looked at his fingernails. "Well, Detective Freshney definitely seems to prefer him to you."

Alex pressed his lips together. "He can have her if he wants her, she loves him anyway. Should be fun, she's a good fuck. But he should let the Count blow him."

Carter grinned. "Is he better at that?"

Alex shrugged. "Dunno. But she sucks at it. Literally." He laughed at his own bad joke. Carter tilted his chair back and scrutinised the young detective. Well, well. There was potential in this young man. A lot of potential.

* * *

"I'm gonna kill him sometime soon!" Jill hissed and hit the counter of the police kitchen hard. Leon wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "Jill, don't," he said soothingly. "Let's go to the chief 'bout him. I've been telling you for weeks that'd be better."

"I won't tell on him just because he's being an asshole!" she snapped. Leon shook his head.

"That's not telling on him, Jill. Be honest, we both can't work with him like that. Nobody can work with him like that. Even Eliza complains about him, and she's his cousin!"

The woman sighed and slumped back against her best friend, looking up at him by craning her head back. "But it's a private affair! It's nothing that should affect our working relationships!" she complained. The blonde raised an eyebrow. "She really complains 'bout Alex?"

He grinned and nodded. "Yeah, she does. Says she can barely work with him 'cause all he does is bitch about us and the Count and Jamie. She's tried to talk some sense into him, but apparently it's no use. She said she almost thinks he's making a point to act completely different to me, but she doesn't know why."

"Huh." Jill sighed and rested against Leon a moment longer before she pushed herself up again with another deep sigh. "Okay. Okay, perhaps we should tell the chief about it. I mean, it's just plain annoying! How many times has he done that this week? Four? Five?"

"Five, counting today," Leon replied and poured her a cup of coffee. She narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly looking sly.

"But say, Leon, you're pretty quick running to the phone lately, too…"

He gave back the look seemingly unimpressed, but his cheeks flushed. Jill took a sip and grinned. "Leon, you wanna tell me anything?" she teased. The blonde cast a quick glance around, thought hard and then decided that Jill was going to know about the baby soon anyway. He hesitated, not knowing if perhaps D wanted to tell his friend himself, but then decided to be egoistic. After all, Jill was still his, Leon's, best friend.

"Well, yeah, wouldn't want anything to happen to D," he said, feeling the heat in his face. "And one can never be too careful with a pregnancy…"

Jill almost dropped her coffee cup when she gaped and then squealed in delight. "No way! No way, Leon! D's pregnant again? Oh, congratulations!"

She flung her arms around her friend and hugged him tight, which Leon let her do with an embarrassed smile. "But don't tell anybody, 'kay?" he mumbled. "We don't want everybody to know, especially not whole Chinatown."

"I promise, darling, I won't tell anyone. Oh, how wonderful! Dana's getting a little brother or sister." Jill seemed completely out of her mind with the news and was beaming like she was going to be a mother again.

"Yeah, whatever," Leon mumbled, feeling really uncomfortable now. It wasn't just because they didn't want to draw attention; it was also because they both were afraid that something might happen. Something they had no influence over. They couldn't keep it a secret from the pets, that was true, but they could still try to keep it a secret from everyone else.

And he couldn't help kind of hoping that D would call someone to make sure everything was alright.

* * *

Since D hadn't been feeling too well this morning, Leon was the one who received the big parcel when someone knocked at the front door. By the time he'd finished preparing breakfast and sent Pon-chan to get D (or, if he didn't feel like it, tell him Leon would stop by before going to work), Dana was already crawling all over it, trying to poke little holes into the brown paper to get a look at the contents. Chris wasn't exactly assisting her, but he wasn't doing anything against it either. So the blonde placed the salad plate on which D insisted on the table and went to rescue the parcel, scolding his curious daughter softly.

"Dana, that's not for you," he said and pointed to the address, written in beautiful, ancient-looking letters. "You see? Count D. Not Dana Orcot. Ergo you'll have to wait until D gets up to find out what is inside." He wanted to extend the lecture to his giggling brother, but was stopped.

"What is inside what?" D asked, entering the kitchen in his sleeping clothes and a bathrobe and looking quite pale. Leon smiled at him and sat Dana down in her chair to kiss his lover.

"You okay?" he asked and the kami smiled.

"Given the circumstances, I am fine," he replied and sat down, eyeing the salad and obviously deciding his stomach would tolerate green stuff, since he took a tomato and started to nibble on it. Chris slumped down beside Dana and started buttering a slice of toast for her.

"You got a parcel," Leon explained and poured himself a cup of coffee. D shot the brown thing on the sofa a disinterested glance and returned to his tomato. Wordlessly, Leon shoved the Greenpeace-plate – as he called it – towards him, urging him to eat more. Thin at the best of times, the nausea that had again set in after the Jonas's tea invitation had taken its toll, and he hated to think of D getting even skinnier. Plus, it wasn't good for the kid.

"Will Jill bring Jamie over today, too?" the kami asked, following Leon's silent order and taking a peach.

"Yeah, she should be here in half an hour at least," the blonde answered. "Then we're off to Beverly Hills." He snorted. "A housemaid was murdered. Those stars make me sick. I can already tell you that it probably was some young guy too drunk to think straight, but of course, they're trying to chalk it up to a burglar."

"Leon, please," D warned, sending the children a meaningful glance. Since Dana had learned to speak properly, they'd found out that the girl actually got to know a lot more than she should, which had resulted in some very severe lectures from D for both the pets and Leon. And Chris was anyway old enough to get what was going on, and he was now looking at this brother with wide eyes, too.

The blonde looked appropriately guilty. "You didn't hear that, both of you," he told the children.

Dana looked up from her toast with a wrinkled brow. "What?" she asked curiously, having been busy with her food. Leon cleared his throat, suppressed his grin and made something up.

"That D's going to the park with you all today," he answered and now D glared. Chris again started to giggle, obviously greatly amused by their morning banter.

"I do not know if I will have the time to go to the park," D began, but Dana had already turned blue pleading eyes to him. He sighed devotedly. "We shall see if I can spare some time for the park," he consented and then looked at the parcel again. "Who brought it?" he asked curiously and Leon shrugged.

"Mail man, who else?" he answered, sneaking some of his toast to Pon-chan while D wasn't watching. Chris noticed, however, and Leon signalled him to be quiet, which made the boy grin wickedly. He was definitely spending too much time with Ten-chan, Leon decided silently.

The kami stood and walked over to the parcel. "It's from Grandfather!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands in joy.

The blonde leaned back in his chair and grinned at the memory of a similar scene. "Another kimono?"

D sneaked him a sidelong glance from beneath lowered lashes. "Do you want to search this one for illegal contents, too?" he purred, making a thrill run up and down Leon's spine.

"Nope, don't have to. My spy's sitting right here. She already started making sure she gets at least half of the contents before you even stood up," he replied and D hid a chuckle behind his hand, observing the loose paper where his daughter had tried to rip the parcel open.

"What a spoiled child!" he sighed. "But I am sure Grandfather will not have forgotten to send something for her, too."

Leon was about to reply to that when someone knocked at the front door and he jumped up to admit Jill and Jamie. The woman immediately made him take her bag and hoisted her crying boy up on her hip. "Ssh, Jamie," she soothed him. "I'm sorry, D, I don't know what's the matter with him today… He wouldn't stop crying the whole night."

Her looks attested to her words. D came over and took James into his arms. "What is the matter with you, Jamie?" he asked gently and rocked the child. "Your mother needs to have some rest, you know that."

"He sounds pretty desperate to me," Leon announced and carefully petted his godson's head. Jamie stopped crying for a moment, but then his face contorted and he wailed again. D sighed. "Oh dear," he murmured. "He's nearly eleven months old now, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Jill looked pained. "At first I thought he was having bellyache, but then he usually starts crying louder when I touch his belly."

"Leon, would you just open his mouth, please?" D murmured. The blonde looked stunned, but complied. D swiftly put one finger in Jamie's mouth and felt around. The boy shrieked in protest, but as quickly as he'd put it in, D took it out again and smiled. "No reason to worry, Jill," he calmed his friend. "Jamie is just getting more teeth."

"Oh dammit! I knew he was kinda late with the rest of them, but…!" She slumped down onto the couch. Dana took her chance at crawling into her "aunt's" lap.

"Good morning Auntie Jill!" she chirped and hugged the woman tightly. Her tense face relaxed and she smiled down at the child. "Well, honey, then you will have to calm Jamie. Leon and I have to go to work." Her gaze wandered to D, rocking the boy again. "If it's okay, I mean… if he's crying too much, I can take him and just take a day off or so…"

The young kami shook his head decidedly. "No, it's fine. After all, I already had the same uproar with Dana," he said decidedly. "He will be tired sooner or later. Don't worry. And I have Chris here to help, too." The boy grew almost an inch when D smiled at him. Jill looked quite relieved.

Then her glance fell on the clock and she shrieked. "Leon! We've gotta leave, or we'll never make it to Beverly Hills in time!"

D actually laughed softly at the uproar following that statement and made sure neither forgot anything before he closed the door and turned to the parcel. He was quite curious what Grandfather had sent him.

Using a big shawl, he fixed James in front of his body. As predicted, the boy quieted, calmed down by the warmth and the song D was humming. "That's a good boy, Jamie," he murmured and looked at the other two children. "Do you want to help me unwrap the parcel from Grandfather?"

"Yeah!" Dana cried out and bopped up and down in expectation. Chris nodded hesitantly, but when D gave him scissors, he took them and set to work at once, cutting the thick brown paper to reveal a shiny wooden box.

"Wow!" he said, impressed. "My grandfather never sends me such stuff."

D smiled and continued to hum, lulling Jamie to sleep while Chris and Dana unpacked a new tea set made of finest blue China with golden patterns, which Chris hastily placed on the table before Dana could break a cup, or worse, the pot. Then he produced another small parcel out of the box with Dana's name on it, and the girl was busy with it for five minutes until she'd revealed the contents, two beautiful earrings with pearls. She was happy while D tried not to think about how he'd explain to Leon that Dana now wanted to get holes for them.

Then Chris produced lots of silk out of the wooden box and held them up, looking confused. Ten-chan jumped down from a cabinet and helped him quickly so that D could stay seated. The silk proved to be a new cheongsam, burgundy red with white roses embroidered with gold. The sight took D's breath away.

"Oh my, how beautiful!" he breathed, standing up and going over to feel the fabric. It was light as air and just as soft. He already knew how it would feel on his skin. "Dear me, now this is quite a gift!"

Ten-chan sent him a knowing smirk. "Trying to wrap you up, ain't he?" he asked. "Question is, what does he want this time?"

D pursed his lips. "He does not know that I am pregnant, Ten-chan," he said and took the cheongsam from Chris's hands. The fox started to laugh.

"He doesn't know? Oh dear, Count, now you're in for trouble. Wonder what the old bat's gonna say. Probably not 'congratulations'."

"Count, why is your grandfather angry that you're pregnant?" Chris asked, head tilted to the side. D glared at Ten-chan, then turned to the boy.

"He is not, Chris. Well, not at the fact that I am pregnant, but rather because your brother is the father of the child." He heaved a little sigh. "You know that Q-chan never really liked Leon."

"Is he going to do something to Brother?" the boy asked, worried now, for he had picked up on the tension in D's voice. Quickly the kami smiled and shook his head. "No, Chris, don't you worry. Nothing will happen to your brother," he calmed the boy, looking at Dana with her earrings and the teaset. "Would you mind bringing that into the kitchen for me, please? I think I shall go and thank Grandfather for his gift."

Fox and boy did as they were told, so D vanished into the back of the shop and laid Jamie down in the spare cradle in Dana's room before going on to his own, trying to figure out what to tell Grandfather. Ten-chan was right, he had to tell him about his pregnancy sometime soon, else Sofu would be even more put out. Plus he was quite sure he'd need his help again. Still, he was reluctant. He hadn't talked to him since Dana's arm had been broken. And he was irked that it had been Ten-chan who had told him more about his own species than Grandfather.

Those thoughts lingered in the back of his mind as he dialled in the number, sitting down beside the phone. Sofu answered at once and they exchanged greetings before D thanked him for the package.

"The cheongsam is a work of art," he said, smiling at the fabric under his hands. "How did you manage to get a hold of it?"

"I have my sources," the eldest replied, sounding quite satisfied. "So you like it?"

"It is lovely!" the young kami assured his grandfather and caressed the soft fabric again. But something in his voice must've tipped Sofu off that his mind was not wholly in the conversation.

"Is everything alright in the shop?" he asked suspiciously. "Is this detective behaving?"

D sighed deeply. "Yes, Grandfather, he is," he said quietly. "It's something else… There are… You once told me that our species never chooses a second lover again after having lost the first, didn't you?"

"Yes. But why are you asking?" Sofu sounded completely stunned. "Have you – you cannot have fallen in love with another human."

"I did not, Grandfather. I only found out that apparently you chose not to tell me all concerning my relationship to Leon." He could not hide the sharp note in his voice, and could almost see Sofu stiffening at the other end of the phone. "Ten-chan was kind enough to fill me in on the details of the bond…"

Sofu never cursed, but he sounded quite chagrined now that his manners forbid him to do so. "That fox should better be silent, considering what chaos he has already caused in other relationships."

"Why did you not tell me that what really was behind all this was the missing bond? If you had just told me that -"

"And would you have listened to me back then, when I warned you that this was destined to shatter?" Sofu interrupted him rather unfriendly. "You would just have pressed him even more to reach that bond, and would have hoped to be able to form it."

He was probably right, still D couldn't quite forgive him that. Sofu seemed to like to keep him in the dark about things he needed to know, and that irked him more than anything. "Grandfather, have you ever considered that I will try to make up my own explanations if you will not tell me what I need to know? And that the consequences of my – rather poor, if I may add that – explanations may be every bit as destructive as your explanations would be?"

"You do not need to know about things that you have no need for," Sofu replied stubbornly. D's lips formed a thin white line, a sign Leon would've been able to read as a danger warning.

"Grandfather, you are telling me to make my own decisions, but you are keeping information I need to properly think about them from me to make me refrain from making them. I will readily admit that it is something I employ more often than not with my customers, but I am not a customer. I am your grandson, and if you continue treating me like a child, one day you might find yourself responsible for something you wanted to prevent at all costs," he warned.

Sofu snorted. "And what would that be?"

He couldn't help the mean smirk that crossed his face now, and for once, he wished Leon was there to see it. He just knew the human would have enjoyed it even more than he himself, liking Sofu as he did.

"Grandfather, I am pregnant again," he said.

Sudden silence fell.

"What on earth made you do that?" his grandfather nearly exploded at the other end. "I know you wanted a second child, but I thought you would not be foolish enough to really act on this plan! Is the first one not enough for you?"

D had to bite his lip to suppress the chuckle, which surely would have infuriated Grandfather even more. He didn't know why it felt so good to get something back at him; perhaps because Grandfather had again made clear that he thought him to be a child still.

"No, one is not enough for us, and we decided to have a second. I do not see why this should cause you so much aggravation," he said innocently. "After all, Leon is a decent partner for me; perfect, in fact. Whom better than a police officer could I find? It will ultimately keep all suspicion off me and the shop."

"Fine. Fine, if you think so. Do not complain afterwards I have not warned you. Several times by now," Sofu grumbled and sounded as if he was pouting. D sighed in exasperation.

"Did you still hope I would cast Leon out again and raise Dana without him?" he inquired and the elder kami huffed.

"You should better do so, Grandson. I told you several times, but I will tell you once again. This human is not fit to raise my great-granddaughter."

"You have never actually seen him raise her," the younger pointed out. "If you would come and have a look for yourself, you might change your mind -"

"How far are you?" Sofu cut him short and D rolled his eyes at the obvious hint that Grandfather wasn't even inclined to talk about Dana's father. But perhaps he was asking too much. At least Sofu had accepted his great-grandchild, and he would do so with the second, too.

"Second month. The signs appeared earlier than with Dana, but they also ceased faster." He didn't mention that Leon and he were handing the nausea back and forth at the moment, in a way. He guessed that the blonde would soon be in for some nice vomiting, now that he felt slightly better again. "I can feel the child already," he continued. "The heart is beating, but so far, I have only had dizzy spells and was sick, nothing more. My body prepared to change, but hasn't started changing yet."

"You have already reached the second month and can feel the heart, but did not think that you should maybe call me?" Sofu sounded hurt, worried and angry all at once. "Why did you not call before? Once you knew, for example. Heaven knows what could already have happened…"

"Grandfather, I have already been through a pregnancy, without my partner present," D cut him off, irritated. "I feel much better, even when I feel bad, than at the best times during Dana. Don't you think that might be a sign that I _am_ doing something right?"

There was silence at the other end. Then: "Be very careful. Let the human make himself useful, if he has to be there, and do the heavy lifting and everything else. Try not to fight with him, even if it means giving in for now. You should not aggravate yourself."

The young kami almost laughed at that. "Grandfather, since I told Leon he is going to be a father again, I cannot even take the teapot without him standing behind me and taking it from me," he replied, amused. "Do not worry, he is taking care of me. I am starting to feel like some kind of precious antique the way he handles me."

"And he very well should treat you like a precious gift," Sofu said. "Truly, to think what you are going through for him… I have to admit, I do not understand you."

D barely suppressed another deep sigh. Fortunately, a cry from the other room called his attention to the children. "Grandfather, I have to finish. The children need me," he said into the receiver. "I will call you again once I have time."

Only when he extracted Jamie from his cradle did he realise that Sofu couldn't probably know he was taking care both of Chris and Jill's child while she was working and laughed out loud, startling the boy. He'd give anything to be able to look into Grandfather's mind right now, busy trying to figure out what he'd meant with "children".

And no, it didn't count as "mean".

* * *

**A/N: **I'm sorry ^^' I forgot to update on friday, didn't I? Please excuse, guys... university and my jobs are keeping me on my toes at the moment...

x: No, that definitely wouldn't be them xD you're absolutely right with everything you say, but amused? Ain't that kinda mean ;-p? Be amused all you want, I very much liked your description of their situation xD

hieiashke: I'll be sitting right next to you... can I get nachos instead of popcorn?  
Yes, he is. Poor guy... However, at least Patrick Jonas seems to be on their side, eh? ^^

sess18: I'm trying to ^^'

Thank you three for the revs :-)


	31. Good Heavens, Leon!

**Good Heavens, Leon!**

The door closed quietly behind Leon and he strode to the parlour, trying not to swallow. He was kind of relieved that D had stopped throwing up, given the kami's condition, but he still wasn't too sure if he was happy that he in turn got to do the vomiting.

Oh, well. At least nobody could say now that Leon wasn't contributing something to the pregnancy. More than a sperm, that meant.

With a sigh, he peeked into the parlour, where D had just had tea with a customer and was now seeing her off. Leon watched him alertly. His Chinese beauty was, for the first time since Leon could remember, not clad in some gown that looked like he was a pretty masculine girl. Sure, it was rich, beautiful silk, but only wide blue trousers that caressed his ankles and a long-sleeved tunic, held in the middle by a broad belt. He looked more male than he ever had since Leon knew him.

The human knew what the sudden tightness in his chest meant. He could barely keep himself from cuddling D half to death. The knowledge of what was hidden underneath those clothes, which secret was within D's body at the moment…

Well, D would look even prettier had his face not been slightly strained. Leon watched D's hand wander up to his chest to absent-mindedly rub over his silken-covered nipple, while he went over to a basket with pups. D usually never did that. He always kept his hands well away from his body. But since three or four days…

Leon had noticed first when Dana had pushed her father away rather roughly, one of her small hands hitting his right nipple full on. D had almost looked pained for a moment. And yesterday, his response to Leon kissing that same nipple had been a strange moan the blonde hadn't heard yet either. He wondered – really wondered – if what D had told him about the first pregnancy had been true…

"Hey D, Jill asked if you've already done some shopping," he said. The kami looked up from the pups.

"Shopping?" he repeated, sounding surprised. "What kind of shopping would I do?"

The blonde grinned. "Well, baby shopping of course. Where did you get Dana's stuff from?"

D smiled and pointedly looked at the ceiling. Leon sighed. "Oh. I should've guessed, shouldn't I?"

The kami turned back to his pets, but Leon didn't let up. "Don't you wanna do some shopping? At least a little bit?" he asked.

D sighed and petted them apologetically. "No, I actually do not care much about the children's clothes manufactured by this society. But if you insist, we can go," he conceded with a sigh at the look on Leon's face. "When do you want to go?"

"Now?" Leon suggested and sat down on the sofa. Chris peeked out behind the new curtain, his face slightly alarmed. "I'm gonna go to Catherine!" he said quickly and exchanged a look with Tetsu. "And Tetsu's coming, too. We wanna show Blanca the new swings in the park."

Both adults raised their eyebrows. "Are you invited?" the kami asked, very slightly mocking the boy, who blushed now. "I – I…" he stammered and his elder brother snorted. "It's alright, Chris. When I was your age, I hated shopping, too."

D's face became wicked. "Well, if we are to do some shopping, then we could also use the opportunity to buy a few clothes for you, Leon…"

"Perhaps we should go to a shop specifically for baby stuff," Leon hurried to say and D shook with silent laughter.

"Is Dana still asleep, Chris? We cannot leave her here all alone. Call Catherine and say that you are coming, we can drop you on the way," he ordered and glided behind the curtain to take up his child from the cradle. Dana didn't let herself be disturbed, she kept on sleeping while Chris ran into the back to fetch his things. Leon rummaged around in the parlour until he had found his key, then held out D's cape to him. The kami raised an eyebrow. "Leon, it isn't that cold outside. In fact, it isn't cold at all," he said, trying not to be irritated.

"But it might rain," the blonde argued.

"Might, could, would," D muttered. "I'm grown, Leon. The fact alone that I _am_ pregnant proves that. I have been regarded as an adult for longer than you are even alive. Don't you think I should by now have learned -"

Without listening to him any longer, Leon put the cape around his shoulders and closed it, ignoring the death glare this action earned him.

Chris and Tetsu rolled their eyes at the bickering that went on the whole way to the car. Both seemed not too sad that they wouldn't have to witness this shopping trip when they hopped out in front of Catherine's house. The girl and Blanca were already waiting for them and ran to greet them. A fond smile spread on Leon's face as he watched.

"You did a real good job with him, D, you know that?" he said quietly as he pulled away. The kami turned to him, surprise on his face.

"I?"

"Well, who else?"

"You did just as much," the kami pointed out, wriggling in the seat and trying to get more comfortable.

"I didn't do anything."

"You kept him."

Leon snorted. He seemed not convinced. D turned around half to look at their daughter, still asleep in her baby seat behind Leon's. "Just like you kept us," he added, quietly.

"Uh, D, don't get like this. You know I wouldn't have done anything else. I didn't have a choice, anyway."

The kami smiled, turned back and was silent until they had reached the boutique Jill had told Leon about. His doubtful face as he pulled into the parking lot seemed to suggest that he was rethinking his decision to do some baby shopping already.

"This looks kind of expensive," he murmured uncomfortably.

"You don't say," D replied dryly, got out and went to get Dana. The girl stirred sleepily when she was taken from her seat. "Bàbà? Where are we?" she asked, holding tight onto D, who hummed and whispered in her ear.

"Ssh, darling, it's alright. We're just at a store. Look, Daddy's here, too. We are going to buy some things for the new baby. Will you help us pick them out?"

At the prospect of a store, Dana immediately woke and sat up. "Yeah!" she exclaimed. Her human father closed the door with an exasperated sigh. "God, I never thought some things are really caused by different genders!"

D shook with laughter as they entered the store. With a quick look around he went in the direction of newborn stuff, Leon following at his heels, clearly feeling out of place now. He lumbered behind D and Dana when they started to look at different baby clothes, although he seemed to be interested in them. D wrinkled his brow when he saw the conflicting feelings on the human's face. "We could also buy something for Jill and Jamie while we are here," he suggested softly, wondering if Leon had ever done such shopping before in his life. And if this strange behaviour wasn't perhaps due to… well, memories…

"I like that one," the blonde said suddenly and pointed at a blue body with little sailing boats on it. "We could give that to Jamie for Christmas. Isn't that long till then, only a month, and it's his birthday, too."

"This will be too small for him then," D objected and took the body in a bigger size. "This one might perhaps fit… oh, look at that one!"

Leon followed, grinning to himself. So much to "I don't like this society's baby clothes". He'd known D would get like this.

With a gruff sound and a little roughly he took his wallet out and pushed it into D's pocket. The kami stopped in holding a little dress in front of Dana, turning wondering eyes on Leon. "Just buy whatever you like," Leon said casually, added, "That dress looks splendid, Dana." and quickly disappeared between the racks. He could see D turning back to Dana with a little smile on his face and felt warmth in his cheeks. Well, alright, so he had just insisted on this little shopping trip to show D that he – that he…

Oh, dammit. Determined to get his thoughts off warm, cuddly feelings, Leon wandered into the part of the shop where lingerie for pregnant women was displayed. He couldn't help blushing a deep red looking at all this stuff. Thinking of having sex with pregnant women was… uh… D's bulge wasn't that big yet, it wasn't remarkably baby-bulge-like, so that was…

Man, he just wished he wouldn't feel so strange about having sex with D when he knew that his child was, more or less, right in there. Not that big an obstacle while it hadn't shown – not even after the heart had started to beat, but now that D had started to change more noticeably …

"D, mind coming over for a bit?"

The kami turned in surprise and left Dana sitting on the floor with a few bodies he'd picked out for Jamie to walk over to his mate, wondering what exactly Leon was doing in the midst of lingerie.

He found out the moment he stood before him. Leon was holding up a bra, grinning broadly and saying, "Maybe you should have a look at these here, too, while we're here."

Compared to other lingerie, it probably was pretty tame, but that was anyway not what offended D about this garment. His pale face heated up.

"No!" he snarled and ripped it out of Leon's hand. "I don't need that, thank you very much. One simple look at me could tell you that."

Leon grinned and came closer, suddenly placing his hands on D's chest. The kami jerked away, but blushed furiously now. The sudden thrill in his body did nothing to lighten his mood. "Keep your hands off me!" he hissed. His mate laughed.

"D, but you are gonna need a bra," he said, amused. "You know, I checked yesterday, when you were asleep. You're growing bo-"

"Shut. Up!" D growled, forgetting to watch his speech in his anger, which only amused Leon further.

"You don't want them hanging down, do you?" he teased. "C'mon, D, just a nice little push-up…"

The death glare was even more impressive than it had been before Leon had found out what might result if he pushed it farther now. "No, you stupid – you insensitive – you pr…!"

Leon felt about ready to burst with laughter as he completed the word in his head. D saw, and acted.

"Ouch! D!"

"You deserved it!" the kami replied with grim satisfaction and went back to Dana, leaving Leon hopping on one foot while cradling the other. It had been totally worth it, though, he decided as he put the bra back and wanted to go after D.

He found his way blocked by a black-haired young woman, who was eyeing him with interest. "Is that your wife?" she asked in a low voice. Leon looked over at D, taking Dana up from the floor, and grinned. "Yup."

"Rather unfriendly, isn't she?" the strange woman purred and came a step closer. Leon's inner eyebrows went up. _Huh?_

"No, she's just – you know what pregnant women get like…" he said. The woman's big grey eyes became understanding.

"Why, of course I know! Which is, why, if you don't mind me saying so, I would like to warn you – a lot of relationships cannot withstand the strain of a pregnancy…"

"You don't say," Leon replied dryly. She nodded, face open and eyes wide, her hand reaching out to touch his arm. Leon withdrew, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. And he also felt something piercing him. He had a good hunch that what was piercing him were dagger glares from his "wife's" direction.

"No, I really mean this, Sir. You see, the hormonal strain on women – it is so difficult to bear for them, sometimes, and they just never understand that men cannot relate to this…"

If this was supposed to be a pick-up line, it certainly was the worst Leon'd ever heard. And he could feel D fuming like hell, pretty close to them now, too.

The stranger touched his arm again…

…and Leon found himself dragged back rather roughly by a slim hand with sharp, long fingernails. "Excuse me, please, Miss," D's cold voice said. "But my husband's presence is required at my side."

Husband? Had Leon missed something?

He half glared at the kami, resenting the very possessive statement he'd just given. He was still man enough to defend himself against the advances of a woman, thank you very much. One would think D would know that by now, given everything that had happened.

The woman smiled rather wickedly and disappeared between the racks. Leon growled. "No need to get jealous, D," he voiced rather stiffly. "She was just talking to me."

"She was trying to touch you and flirting with you," D replied, his voice very clipped. "I do not need to remind you that it is me you are here with and that we are here to select clothing for _our_ child, do I?"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Well, thanks so much for the reminder, D, but I think I remember it was my idea in the first place, so yes, I do know that."

The already narrowed eyes flickered down for a moment and Leon realised that he –

Oops. Shit. Maybe he shouldn't have imagined D in some – uh – special clothes.

"No, D, that's not her fault!" he hastily tried to clarify, but the kami's glare got only frostier at this. "I was thinking about you, dammit! Don't you think it's rather hot for me when you're getting bo – uh, breasts?"

That seemed to be a touchy subject with D, Leon reflected and yelped as D's elbow hit his ribs.

"Stop talking about that. At once!" the kami hissed, punched once more and then stalked away, his nose high up in the air. Leon stared after him, barely believing what had just happened. What the…? What was the matter with D? He'd had boobs before, he'd told Leon so himself, so what…?

"Oh, you know what, just forget it!" he cursed, stomping towards the entrance of the shop. "It's not my fucking problem if you've got a problem with your boobs, you hear me? It's not my fucking problem!"

He was pretty sure the three women at the cashier turned around to stare at him when he left, but the burning glare D sent him was much worse. Leon slammed the door of the car shut behind himself, glaring at the rear mirror angrily, feeling like punching it just because. But he couldn't do that, 'cause D would never get into his car again if it wasn't in one piece. Much less let Dana get into it.

Still…

He fumbled around in his pocket for his cigarettes, also _just because_. He would open the window and smoke outside, of course, but he just had to rub into D's face that even though Dana was going to be in the car, and D was pregnant, he, Leon, could still have his own way in his own car! Because there were areas where it wasn't just D and his damn pregnancy and damn hurt feelings that counted, there were, oh yes!

His hand met a strange piece of paper, feeling like a card. Curiously, he pulled it out and looked at it. It was indeed a card, advertising the services of a lawyer of the name of Christine Allen, obviously specialised in family affairs and – divorces. On the back was written, _A guy like you really doesn't have to put up with something like that. Gimme a call. Chrissy_

When D finally left the shop, tugging a pouting Dana along at a quite quick pace, fully intending to scold Leon for just walking out on them in there, and for walking out the way he did, he found the detective hanging out of the window of his car, tears in his eyes and laughing like a maniac.

The young kami stopped dead in his tracks and just stared at his mate. "Leon Orcot!" he hissed. "What does this mean? Do you think it is funny to leave Dana and me in there all alone?"

Instead of an answer, Leon pushed a small card at him, covering his eyes with his hand and continuing to laugh.

Dana really was a girl to be pitied. Especially because nobody ever explained to her why both of her fathers spent a good five minutes gasping for air in an open parking lot.

Finally D waved around with the tiny slip of paper, wiping away a tear gracefully. "And, my dear Detective, will Miss _Chrissy_ Allen get a call from you?" he inquired, eyes twinkling with mischief. Leon shook his head, biting his lip hard to keep the grin off his face.

"I don't think I've got the money left to make a phone call," he said, trying to sound sad and failing completely. "What you just bought in there should have taken care of my complete savings. Those I didn't already blow on finding you again."

D calmed down and smiled at his mate shyly, bending so he could rest his forehead against Leon's. "I will pay back each and every cent to the last if you want me to do so," he whispered, meaning something completely different.

And Leon knew. He could tell, by now. "No way, dude," he replied, his voice rough. "If you did that, I think I'd really have to give that bitch a call."

"What are you doing there? Bàbà! Daddy!" Dana's pouting voice broke through their bubble and they both turned and smiled at their child, looking at them confused. "What did you say? Why did you laugh? I wanna laugh too! Who's a bitch?"

The blonde groaned when the reprimanding glare met him and hid his face in his arm lying on the open window. "Dana, sweetie, forget that word again and just get into the car before your father kills me."

They were silent back on their drive home, but from time to time, their eyes met, in the mirror or for real. Every time they smiled.

* * *

D heard the door go and left the back, telling Dana to stay there and T-chan to make her stay there. He didn't feel like the newcomer had proper intentions and didn't want his child to meet him.

He knew his feeling had been right when he stepped out behind the curtain and recognised the man from the park, who was staring at a starling with disgust. The starling returned the look with dismay. D shared his dislike, but he clasped his hands, pretended not to know his visitor and smiled. "Welcome to Count D's pet shop, Sir. Here we sell love, hope and dreams. How may I help you?"

Cold blue eyes scrutinised him, and D couldn't help but compare the man to Leon. He reached the conclusion that although he was prejudiced on the subject, Leon still came out looking better. This one here reminded him distinctly of Taizu, and he didn't like that memory at all.

"You might be able to help me out with information about your father."

The shock took a moment to deal, but he had caught himself soon enough. "Unfortunately my father died some time ago, Mr. …?"

"Carter. Agent Devon Carter."

So this was Devon Carter. How very interesting. Leon had talked about him, told D that he was taking quite an interest in them, but that had already been some time ago. It seemed as if the man was finally making true on his promise of visiting D. Good. He very much preferred this to him stalking them every time he was in the park with the children.

The smile grew and felt good. "Please excuse me. Agent Carter. I do not know how I could help you in that respect, since my father has been dead for three years now. But if you insist, why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea?"

He knew the man was waiting for some mistake, for a slip of tongue, anything he could nail D with. But he wasn't that much out of training. He would deal with Carter as he used to do with Leon.

"May I ask why you are interested in my father at all?"

"He was involved in the death of an FBI-agent. But surely you know that. The only living witness lives in your shop." Carter finally sat down and gazed at D coldly. The kami sat, too, tilting his head to the side and tipping his nail against his lip.

"I assume you are referring to Detective Orcot. Yes, he does indeed live here. You probably know that we share a child."

"And a bed, too."

D nearly laughed behind his mask. Did this man really think he was as easy to provoke as Leon? He should get better information beforehand.

"I think that information is not necessary for you, Agent Carter. After all, you came here to ask about my father, did you not? And I can assure you, he never shared a bed with either Detective Orcot or me."

The blush spreading on the man's face was delightful. D relished in it, laughing inside. Mention incest and humans were guaranteed to be embarrassed.

But Carter managed to get a hold of himself. "Actually, I do have a reason for asking that," he said, the blush dying down again. "You see, I wonder why you would want to live with the man who killed your father. It seems a little bit… treacherous to me."

"Treacherous?" D raised an eyebrow. "As far as I recall, I had not seen my father in years, and the bond between us was never very strong, while my attachment to the detective was indeed great. Would you consider being on the side of the one whose child you are carrying as treacherous, too?"

"You still left your lover after he'd shot your father," Carter insisted and D knew he thought he'd caught him in his trap. "That sounds very much like you did care."

Calmly the kami took a sip of his tea. "You were misinformed, Agent Carter. I left the detective before my father kidnapped him and forced him to shoot him. The reasons for me leaving had nothing to do with that incident."

"Oh yes, you only had to evade the FBI and Agent Howell, right," Carter said, smirking.

D looked mildly surprised. "Why should I fear the FBI, Agent Carter? I am an upstanding citizen, I have nothing to fear from the police."

"An upstanding citizen who sells murder pets."

D was very tempted to laugh, but he only allowed the corners of his mouth to twitch. "I see you have talked to Detective Orcot after all. Agent Carter, without wanting to be impolite, do you really think a man like the detective would become my boyfriend if I was doing something illegal?" Leon's moral integrity was annoying, and one of the reasons why it hadn't worked, but it was useful, too, on occasions like this.

Carter realised that, too. With a wrinkled brow, he growled "No", knowing that accusing another detective of treachery would result in problems. And then he switched to what was indeed a very delicate subject. "But say, I'm wondering – you've been described as a man to me…" His sly eyes travelled over D's body, who could barely resist the temptation to give Tetsu the sign to eat the man. The totetsu was waiting for it, without any doubt, he could see it in his eyes.

"Human eyes can be so very easily deceived…" D murmured and sipped his tea, watching Carter from under his eyelashes. The agent's eyes were glittering in a very strange way.

"Maybe. But sometimes they also see quite clearly, Count D. For example, I heard that you, the detective and your daughter were seen yesterday in a boutique… quite a special boutique, if I may say so. And various persons observed that you seem to have gained weight lately… might it just be possible that Chinatown can soon rejoice in the news of one of their most prominent members having another child?"

"Of course," Carter added, smirking, before D could put in another word, "they might be very much mistaken. After all, a man would not be able to give birth, and as far as I've been told, you are male…"

"I still fail to see what all this has to do with my father, Agent Carter." D's voice had probably never been colder than right now. The agent leaned forward, getting as close as possible to him. D stared him in the eye. He was not going to back down.

"Nothing, Count D, you are quite right with that," Carter said quietly. "This has nothing to do with your father, Agent Howell or even your stupid boy toy, who is so enamoured by you that he forgets his duty towards his own people. I will only say one thing: Janet Williamson."

_Why_ had Leon not told him about that? _Why_ had he not told D that this was one of _those_ men?

Probably because Leon himself didn't know. Or perhaps he just hadn't attributed the same importance to that as D did.

Whatever the reason, it would have been better had D been forewarned.

"Janet Williamson," he replied slowly, trying to pull himself together. "Is this name supposed to -"

"Don't start playing this game, Count D." Carter smiled a thin-lipped smile. "Your pretty little loverboy was kind enough to tell me that she didn't leave a suicide letter when she threw herself off that balcony – pity he was wrong. She did leave one. Though nowhere where the police would gain access to, unless she had been murdered."

He produced a small piece of paper out of his pocket. "They never asked her family if there was one. At least, not the family that lived in Washington."

D watched him, his face frozen. He thought he could guess what was written in there. He should have killed that woman back then. His one act of empathy for Leon's sake and it came back to haunt him like this.

_"Dear Devon, I'm writing to you with my pledge. I don't know who else I can turn to – your father will not understand, and Kevin is far too young. But you have the power and ability to set things right. What happened to me was not an accident, as everyone wants to tell me. I know who did this to me; it's a man named Count D, who owns a pet shop here in Chinatown. He sold that wretched wolf to John and made him turn away from me, and when I did what I had to do and freed John from his influence, he came after me. He crippled me, and he killed everything that was dear to me. Devon, if you still feel for me like you did years ago, swear that you are going to avenge me. I do not have the strength to do it myself – I barely have the strength to end my own life, let alone the life of that bastard who took it. With love, Janet."_

Carter's eyes bore into his. D smiled at him, perfectly serene and polite. "My, my," he muttered softly. "Someone seems to have read a few too many tragic novels."

"Do you deny that you were the reason for her death?" Carter's voice quivered with cold fury. D raised an elegant eyebrow.

"I do not deny that I reclaimed the pet she had stolen from John William Carter. She didn't enjoy her new company very much, and, I am sure, neither did Miss Williamson. I highly resent my charges being stolen and held prisoner out of jealousy."

"You're not human." It was a whisper, but it seemed to echo in the shop nevertheless. The pets in the front room, who had been silent until now, started hissing. Eyes glowed in the darkness. D sipped his tea.

"Am I not?"

"You can't be. You cannot be a man and still give birth to a child. Not as a human."

He smiled, perfectly innocent. "Well, as I said: human eyes can be so easily deceived. If I wasn't human, Agent Carter, pray tell me, wouldn't someone already have found out? Wouldn't someone have found proof for that by now?"

"You bewitched the only one who did!" Carter hissed, making D shake with silent laughter.

"Oh, Agent Carter, we do not live in the Middle Ages anymore. Surely you know that 'bewitching' someone nowadays is quite a difficult feat, especially if that person happens to be a police officer. A quite," he added softly, "incorruptible police officer."

The man trembled with rage. "He's as corruptible as everyone else is, too, and I'll proof both of you that he is!"

D inclined his head, letting his hair hide his cruel smile. "Do so, Agent Carter. Do so."

"Bàbà, you promised to come back and read us a story!"

Both adults whirled around at the sound of the voice as if the spell they had been under had been broken. Chris quickly snatched Dana's hand and tried to tug her back behind the curtain, but the girl resisted and looked at her father with big accusing eyes. "You promised!" she insisted.

D sighed. "Dana, I am busy still," he told his child in Chinese, hoping that the children hadn't overhead too much of the previous conversation.

Dana switched to Chinese, too. "But I don't like that man and you promised." Chris bent down and started whispering to his niece frantically, sending Carter an almost fiendish glance. It was clear that he shared her opinion about him.

The young kami tried to find a way out of this situation; he was rather averse to the idea of Carter going away like this, still all fury and threat. But on the other hand… he needed time to prepare, and time to talk to Leon before he took any further action.

Rising, he indicated the children with his hand. "Agent Carter, you will have to excuse me; as you can see, my children need me." Chris stopped talking to Dana and blushed; Carter glanced at them.

"_Your_ children?" he said, sounding highly doubtful. "The blonde doesn't look much like _your_ child."

The young kami smiled, steel hidden in the smile. "Christopher is, as you probably have found out during your… observations, the detective's younger brother and living with his family, Agent Carter. Whether or not he is my biological child is not the point here, the point is that he belongs to my family. Pray excuse me now; should you feel the need to wait for Detective Orcot, feel free to have a look at the pets here. Maybe you will find one that suits you? Perhaps a Siberian tiger or a Siamese Crocodile?"

"Those are protected!" Carter snapped, and D smirked openly now.

"Yes, indeed they are," he said thoughtfully. "But they would fit your hunting drive so nicely, don't you think so? Although I should maybe warn you; you might find yourself in the position of the hunted only too soon then…"

The door was slammed shut before he got to finish his sentence, and he led the children back to Dana's chamber, chuckling to himself. At least for the moment he was pretty sure that Carter would be too frightened to do anything.

For now. He suppressed the worry as far as he could. He _had_ to talk to Leon. Soon.

Even the half-peace was only momentary; halfway through the story Dana had elected the bells jingled again, but Chris jumped up hastily to open the door. D smiled at that (Chris was really such a helpful boy) and convinced his daughter to leave the book so he could look at whoever had just arrived here. Of course Dana wasn't happy, and for a second D felt bad conscience; he didn't have much time for his own child lately, but what was he supposed to do? Lin was gone, Jill and Leon had to work and he had to keep pretending for as long as possible, meaning as long as his belly didn't show.

Walking down the corridor with his child on his arms, he listened to the sounds from the front room and smiled again when he recognised Catherine's and Blanca's voices. The dear girl, if she invited Chris over for today evening, he might be able to get at least a little rest, perhaps could read Dana the long promised book finally…

But halfway there the merry voices of the children and the dog were interrupted by the bells jingling again. For a moment there was surprised silence in the parlour, then Chris's voice wavered through the corridor to D.

"Count?"

Children's voices might sound a lot alike, but they could express perfectly what their owner felt right now. And Chris wasn't only insecure, he was shaken. He needed D to come and help him, right now.

The kami hurried into the parlour and stopped as if he'd run into a wall. Dana wriggled around on his arms and cried out in joy. "Grandfather!"

"Good day, Grandson. Dana, hello," Sofu said, his voice even and calm. "I trust you are all well?"

Chris sidled up to D, half hiding behind the young kami, who was trying to overcome his surprise. Dee at his grandfather's hand tried to free himself, obviously wanting to embrace his father, but Sofu's grip was hard and didn't let him. Catherine pressed Blanca to her chest, her gaze switching from D to Sofu and back.

"Grandfather. I have to confess, I did not expect your visit. Do come in, please." He had managed to regain his senses and motioned for his family to come in and sit down. Sofu tugged Dee along, who was now looking at the two human children with interest. Chris's hand was still fastened in D's cheongsam. The kami smiled down on him.

"Catherine, how can I help you? Is Blanca alright?" he asked, ignoring Sofu and Dee for the time being. The girl snapped out and nodded. "Ah, yes, thanks. Uh, I just wanted to ask if Chris can come over tonight – my brother got that new game, and we wanted to play tonight…" Her voice trailed off, unsure again, and she glanced at the other two kami. With gentle force D pried Chris's hand off himself.

"That's very nice of you, Catherine. Chris, why don't you get your things from your room? It's alright," he forestalled any protest. "I will tell your brother where you are, and it's just for tonight. Don't forget to thank Catherine's parents for being so nice."

"Sure." Chris finally let go and made for the back, Catherine and Blanca following at D's sign. Dana on his arms wriggled around more now, she wanted down to greet her grandfather, so he let her go. Dee smiled brightly and jumped up, running to him and throwing his arms around his waist. "Father! I missed you so!"

D felt his face split in a smile, and he hugged his son back. "I have been waiting to meet you again, too, Dee," he said softly. "Welcome. Are you well?"

"Yes, thank you, Father. Grandfather and I are very well. He told me we had to come here – he said you're pregnant again!" The child's eyes were blazing with excitement. D shot a glance at his grandfather, trying not to snap at once.

"Yes, Dee, I am indeed pregnant again. That is the reason for your visit?"

Chris, Catherine and Blanca returned from the back, Ten-chan and Tetsu accompanying them. Both pets stopped at the sight of the elder, and especially Ten-chan's face went grim. The younger Orcot looked at the Count questioningly, still unsure how to handle this, and even jealous at the sight of the stranger boy embracing "his" Count.

D smiled at him reassuringly, disengaged himself and ushered the children out the door. "Count?" Chris asked again, voice still quivering. D gave him a quick hug.

"Everything's alright, Chris," he whispered. "Please, go with Catherine and stay with them tonight. I promise I will explain tomorrow."

The boy conceded and went away. Tetsu caught D's eyes, nodded and went after him.

Then the young kami closed the door and turned around, facing Sofu finally. His face went cool in no time. "Grandfather. What is this to mean? Do you think I am not able to handle this alone, or why else have you come?" he asked. Dana picked up on his anger and started to look confused, as did Dee.

Sofu smiled amiably. "Oh dear, what you always assume. I simply wanted to make sure you are alright. After all, a pregnancy is nothing to be toyed with," he quipped, but his eyes were hard. "Where is the father, anyway?"

"Leon is at work, as he should be at this time of the day. Do you care for tea?"

"Yes, please."

D went to the cart and started to prepare the tea in silence. Dee nestled his head in between D's arm and his waist. He smiled at the child; it wasn't his fault, after all. "Dee, how long has it been that I've seen you? You have grown quite a lot in the meantime."

His face lightened up in joy. "A year! I wanted to come visit, but Grandfather said that you're back in America and that I can't come visit at the moment because you're so busy. But he did visit you!"

"Only thrice, Dee, and only for a very short time," D calmed his son and looked at Dana on Sofu's lap. The girl was snuggling into the elder, she was tired and needed food, soon. And D himself was feeling quite tired at the moment, too. He didn't want to start quarrelling with Grandfather right now. He at first wanted to think about what to say, how to react. This was all very unexpected.

"Do you plan to stay here?" he asked, carrying the teapot over. Dee followed with four cups.

Sofu inclined his head. "I will stay," he said, not bothering to add "if you need help" or anything the like.

"And you truly think this is wise? Leon lives here, too," D reminded him, sitting down in his chair. Dee looked at the sofa, hesitated and D smiled. Thankful, the child sat down on his knees. D wrapped one arm around him, feeling calmed by the nearness, although Sofu raised one reprimanding eyebrow.

"I do not care for the human, but I care for you, and you are going to need my help. Especially since Christopher is in the shop again. You did not mention him."

"I did not know you wanted to have every inhabitant's name," D quipped, angered by the accusation in Grandfather's voice. "Yes, Chris is here at the moment. His parents are getting divorced, and his aunt thought it wise to keep him away during this time, so she sent him here. Leon and I are very happy to have him here."

"So this is the child you mentioned."

A smirk played on D's lips. "No, actually, the child I was talking about while you were on the phone was Jill Freshney's son James. I am looking after him while his mother is at work."

The eyebrow nearly vanished beneath Sofu's hair. "Interesting. I cannot remember having turned this shop into a kindergarten."

"No, you haven't, and I am very sure you never would have thought about that. But I have done it," D replied sharply. "I am helping a friend of mine, and if nothing else, Dana needs company. I cannot keep her isolated forever, and both Leon and I are already grown. She needs other children to socialise with."

"And how old is this James?"

"Eleven months," D answered. "Seeing that Dana is going to have a little brother or sister herself soon, it is only appropriate that she gets used to small children, too."

"I see." Sofu did, but that didn't mean that he agreed with any of it, D could read as much on his face. "But with the additional children in here, you need my help even more."

D wanted to argue, but then he thought better of it. It was true, in a way; once he got further, it would become increasingly difficult to care for all three children without help. He didn't plan on getting another babysitter; Lin had caused enough trouble as it was, finding a new one was out of the question. And now Carter…

"You need my help," Sofu said firmly. "Whether you like it or not, I am staying here as long as this pregnancy takes. And Dee will stay as well."

D felt the youngest snuggle into him and squeezed him gently. "I will be happy to have you here," he said, not quite talking to his grandfather, but not quite ignoring him either. "You should, however, remember that at the moment I am the master of this shop and that the father of my children lives here as well. I will be very much put out if the situation escalates."

"Dee and I will make sure not to meet him more often than necessary," Sofu said with an icy face. D tried not to think about what that promise entailed, but he could already see the horrors of the months coming. However was he supposed to make them stay peaceful? Leon and Grandfather were – well, _enemies_ probably suited it best.

"Father, I want to meet him!" Dee interrupted his thoughts and D could see storm clouds gathering on Sofu's brow. Quietly he sighed. Leon used to call such days Murphy's Law Remembrance Day. He supposed Murphy's Law also did apply to beings like him.

* * *

**A/N: **hieiashke: Yeah... maybe a bit mean... but whatevs, ne? ;-) Well, Ten-chan and Sofu would resemble each other surprisingly, I think - although their rage has different reasons...

x: Yes, I concur. Love makes things a lot easier to accept - until the love has worn off, at least. Concerning Alex, I've found out over the years that no matter how much I don't like some people, somehow they manage to aggravate me even more, thus making me hate them more, too. The same probably goes for you and Alex, ne? ^^  
Well, "domestic" is something where they can't do that many things wrong xD

Thank you both :-) Enaty


	32. Three, Two, One

**Three, Two, One…**

"I'm home!" Leon called and strode into the pet shop, placing the peaches he'd bought for D on one of the small tables. Dana called for him from the kitchen and a smile flitted across the blonde's face. D was probably having dinner with her.

Quickly he crossed the distance and stepped through the curtain hiding the kitchen entrance only to freeze dead in his tracks. The black hair, the attitude, the clothes… it was all the same. But Leon could not be more certain that this was not his D.

"What are YOU doing here?" he yelled and the figure turned. Golden eyes scrutinised him and kept him in place, although he wanted to snatch his daughter out of reach of the _other one_. "Get away from Dana!"

"Calm down, human, I am just taking care of the child," Sofu D said coolly. "Do you honestly think I would hurt my great-grandchild?"

Horrible fear took hold of Leon. His voice nearly broke. "Where's D? What did you do to him?"

For a second those unnatural eyes flashed with something he couldn't name, but then the eldest Count D was as cool and poised as ever. "My grandson is resting in his bedroom, human. He felt unwell."

For a moment Leon was torn between running to D and look after him and staying to protect his child. But then he caught sight of Dana's face. She was smiling at her great-grandfather and tugging at his sleeve just like she used to do with D. Obviously she trusted him. And even though Leon didn't, that convinced him that at least for now he had nothing to fear for his child.

So he turned and stormed out, dashing into the bedroom like a canon ball. The figure in the bed stirred and sat up, rubbing one eye tiredly. "Leon?" D asked with a sleepy voice. "What is the matter?"

"Oh, thank god!" the blonde breathed and hugged the young kami so tightly he could scarcely breathe. "Leon!" he complained, but for once the human didn't care for the delicateness of D's body.

"Oh god, I thought… never scare me so again!"

"What? When am I supposed to have scared you?" D asked, confused and made Leon release him at least a bit.

"What's _he_ doing here?" the blonde demanded to know.

It took a moment for the kami to process this question, but then he got what his lover meant and sighed in relief. "Grandfather is here to help me," he said.

Leon sat down slowly on the bed. "So you did call him finally. What did he say?"

D smirked, half bitter, half amused. "He was very put out, and, as you can see, quite eager to come and right things."

"Right things…" The blonde looked at D sharply. "Right things in which way? Right things as in 'making you abort the baby'?"

D stroked the bigger hand, looking down on it. "You know that nothing he said or did could make me do that."

"I don't trust him, D. I just don't trust him."

The young kami was silent. Then he sighed deeply. "I have no other choice, Leon. You were the one who asked for a doctor. The thing closest to a kami doctor I can offer you is Grandfather. I have to accept his help if I want answers." He scrutinised Leon. "And you were very worried about me, weren't you?"

Leon let his head sink down on D's shoulder. "Yes. I'm still worried. It's just – I can't see how this is going to work, with him in the shop and half the time lying to you about things."

A knock at the door made them both startle. "Come in!" D called, rising quickly.

Sofu entered and looked at them. "I do hope he did not yell at you like he did at me," he said coolly, but was at least polite enough to talk Chinese.

The younger smiled. "Grandfather, please. You gave Leon quite a shock, too. I did not tell him I had called you."

Sofu's cool gaze swept over Leon, very swiftly, almost as if only unwillingly acknowledging his presence in D's room. "I have prepared dinner. Do you want to join us or do you feel too bad?"

"Speak English," Leon muttered.

The eldest looked over at him. "Dinner is ready," he said, smiling the cool, polite smile Leon knew so well. "If you would care to join us, human…"

Leon's eyes narrowed. "Sure, thanks for the nice invitation," he replied, helping D up.

They followed Sofu, who swept through the corridors as if in great haste, but in front of the kitchen D stopped Leon. "Leon, wait a moment" he whispered, not sure if Leon had already realised what Sofu's presence meant.

"What's it? You want me to be careful in case he poisoned my food?"

"No, Leon, really, be serious. I am not talking about the food, I am talking about -"

"Father! Do you feel better now?"

Leon froze. D shook his head. He should've warned Leon the moment the human came inside.

"Is he who I think he is?" Leon's voice was barely a whisper, but D nodded nevertheless. Slowly the blonde turned and looked at the youngest, who in turn was gazing at him with wide eyes. "Hi," he said, smiling crookedly. "You've gotta be D's – uh -"

"I'm his son," the child said proudly, and the look Leon sent D was simply helpless. He sighed, took Leon's arm and manoeuvred them all into the kitchen, where the food was steaming on the table. "And you're Dana's father."

Said girl jumped up at his sight and came running to embrace Leon's leg. Still staring at the kami child, he took his own up and placed her on his shoulders. "Yeah, that's who I am. So, you're D's – son."

"Dee, sit down," Sofu ordered in Chinese, sweeping past Leon. He made sure the child got the seat farthest from Leon's, then looked at his grandson. "We will have dinner with you tonight. I have to see for myself what you can eat and what not."

The mood was considerably low this evening at dinner, and D found himself wishing he hadn't sent Chris off to Catherine's. Then again, he did not wish the boy to witness yet another quarrel. Especially not this quarrel.

Finally Sofu sent Dee off to his room, although the child protested at first and wanted to stay with them. But the eldest wouldn't hear any of it, and all three adults sat down in the parlour. Ten-chan, who'd sidled inside sometime during dinner, prepared tea and served it to them before Sofu started to speak.

"You will have to put up with me for as long as this pregnancy takes," he told Leon stiffly. The human wrinkled his brow.

"I don't see why you can't help D from your hiding place," he argued. "We're doing fine."

"That is what you think." Sofu's eyes flashed in anger for a moment. "Anyway, I want to make certain facts clear. While my grandson is pregnant, you are not to yell at him, aggravate him in any way, nor do anything else that will cause emotional turmoil. You are to fulfil his every wish as fast as you can, without arguing."

Leon's eyes narrowed while D gasped in surprise. "You're not gonna tell me how I am to treat my boyfriend, Q-chan!" he gritted through his teeth.

Sofu stiffened even more. "I would prefer you not calling me Q-chan anymore, but Count D, as is my legal title," he said stiffly. "And, as a matter of fact, Orcot, this shop is still my property. If you will not do as I say, I can force you to act according to my grandson's wishes."

"Now, Grandfather, would you please ask me first what my wishes are?" D interjected, glaring openly. "Because, with all due respect, I am happy with Leon acting as he is. I do not need to be wrapped up like a porcelain doll."

Sofu's eyes snapped to him. "You do, Grandson. Kindly recall your first pregnancy and then -"

"That's enough of all that." Ten-chan's voice cut in. The fox stepped forward, eyes locked on the eldest Count. "You know what's always been your greatest mistake? You come and expect everyone to jump to your every whim. Leon and the little Count have built themselves a life, and you won't destroy that again just because you think they should live it as you imagine it."

Leon looked at the nine-tailed fox, back at D and nodded firmly. "Hear, hear. Just what I wanted to say, too."

Sofu stood abruptly and went back to the kitchen. "Fine. If you do not want my advice, then I shall keep it to myself," he said curtly. D buried his face in his hands and groaned.

"You know, all of you, what I don't want first of all is a shop that resembles a mine field," he said. "I am well aware that you don't like each other, but can't you at least keep peace?" Grazing the fox with a glance, he added, "Especially you, Ten-chan. What is suddenly the matter with you?"

The fox shrugged and turned away, and they sipped their tea in uncomfortable silence until Dana called from the back.

* * *

D had fallen asleep on the sofa again, Dana lying on his chest. Leon watched them unmoving from D's chair, considering moving both to the bed since that'd be much more comfortable, especially for D. He had some experience with sleeping on the sofa with Dana on top. The girl was light, but the sofa not the most comfortable in the world, and after some time, it got pretty hard not to move.

D needed so much sleep of late. He had explained to Leon that it had been the same during his first pregnancy, but the blonde still worried. His lover had also started to look strained and exhausted sometimes. Leon wasn't used to D looking almost human. He always had the air of a deity, even when being angry or shocked or surprised. Even when making love.

So, yes, in a way Leon was glad that now someone was here who knew about D and kami pregnancies. He wasn't as happy that this person was Q-chan, and he taxed his head how D thought this was going to work. They'd already had a nice start back there, with Q-chan making rules without asking anyone if those rules were even needed. D and he had arranged themselves and they were good at arranging themselves with each other. They didn't need him nosing around in their affairs.

A hand lightly touched his shoulder. Leon looked up to see the one in question standing beside him. The eldest Count nodded in the direction of the kitchen. "We have to talk," he whispered and floated over. Leon sighed, stood and sent a last glance at his lover and daughter before following the eldest kami. He could just guess what was up, but he didn't want to disturb D with it. He could face the old bat alone, he'd wanted to do so for a long time.

"It would be best for him if you left the shop," Sofu said without any kind of introduction once they had reached the kitchen. Leon was only able to stare for a moment.

"What the hell?" he hissed then. "Leave the shop? Are you crazy? He needs my help, and _I'm_ the father of his baby. I'll stay here no matter what."

"You are aware of the fact that you might actually endanger him by staying so near to him, are you?" Sofu's voice was cool, but his eyes were on fire. He wanted to have Leon gone for good, that much was clear.

"And how would I do that?" the human countered. "You think I'm gonna kill him or what? Because I can't deal with him being pregnant?"

The eyes flashed golden sparks. "You might well kill him if you continue to quarrel with him all the time and cause him unduly commotion."

"We're just quarrelling," Leon snapped. "We've been doing that for years without anything happening."

"But he was never pregnant," Sofu quipped angrily. "You are here to help keep his body and mind in balance, but all you are doing is to bring him out of it."

"Oh, come on!" Leon snarled. "D's perfectly able to deal with all that shit. He even said it's better than the last time he was pregnant."

He realised that had been the wrong thing to say when Sofu's face contorted with fury. "It is a wonder he even survived that first pregnancy, you ignorant human. He was exceedingly strong to make both himself and the child survive. You have no idea how hard it was for him, how much he suffered to give birth to Dana and how do you repay him? By getting him pregnant yet again! It would be best if you just left this shop for good and never came back, and if he had an abortion and could forget about you."

Leon was starting to understand why D was so closed up about everything that might worry him. How nice of Q-chan to tell his grandson that he might die if he kept Dana! Probably D didn't even know yet that he'd barely escaped this fate.

"You're never going to tell him that!" the human growled threateningly and Sofu tossed back his head in defiance.

"And why should I not? He may not have bonded to the second child now, and I would love to spare him that experience a second time."

"Yeah, without any doubt, but this is _our_ kid, and you don't get a say in this matter, understood? You don't get any say where our kids are concerned, and neither where D and I are concerned, just to get that straight! I'm here now, he doesn't have to rely on memories and dreams to deal with all this shit!"

"As if you could change so much, human!"

"I do change a lot, you bastard! D can eat something without throwing it up again!"

"Oh, how useful! He still hurts while his body is changing."

"And I'm giving him a backrub every evening."

Sofu snarled and managed to look really mean. "Accept it, human, you are not fit to help my grandson in any way during his pregnancy. You will only manage to aggravate him with your behaviour and foul manners, and he will be in much greater danger than with his first child because of that. The missing bond between you will take care of that for sure!"

Leon was ready to yell, but the door was flung open and D entered, looking downright angry. "Stop fighting at once!" he ordered, glaring at them. "Grandfather, would you please leave the decision if Leon can compensate my pains enough up to me, and Leon, would you please stop behaving like a pouting child and listen to me instead of my grandfather? I am the one who is pregnant, so I know best how I feel and what I need, is that understood?"

It was amazing, that a teenaged kami could still make a grandfather and a human adult shut up just with a few words and a sharp voice. Dana, in any case, was very amused by that fact. "Daddy looks so stupid!" she giggled.

"Yes, he does," D agreed icily. "As does your grandfather, darling. Both of them look like idiots at the moment, idiots who cannot accept anything but their own view of the world. I would be very much indebted to them if they would remember that I am here still, and that I am the one suffering most of their arguments, should they continue like this."

Both opponents remained silent and D sighed, glancing at the clock. "Anyway, it is now past nine. You should be in bed since an hour and I suggest we all do the same," he ordered. "In case you do not want to stay up all night bashing each other's head in, in which case I'd ask you not to make too much noise so that the rest of us can sleep in peace."

Sofu and Leon shared a last glare, then they both left the kitchen, Leon in the direction of the parlour and Sofu in the direction of the shop's back. D, Dana and Ten-chan stayed in the kitchen, all three heaving a deep sigh. "This really looks like party," the fox announced glumly. "You sure you don't wanna throw Q-chan out, Count?"

D pressed his lips tight and shook his head. "I may not be happy about him being here, Ten-chan, but one thing he says is true: I need his help. And both he and Leon will have to accept that I need both of them here right now."

* * *

"Where's Chris, anyway?"

D turned around in his bed, sighed and put one hand over his eyes. "He is at Catherine's, as usual when he isn't in the shop. Tetsu is with him, he is completely safe, trust me."

"You sent him away?" Leon came into view now, still dressed in his dayclothes and with crossed arms. He stopped in front of D's bed. The kami looked up at him with a pained look in his eyes.

"Leon, it is half past three in the morning. Could we please discuss this another time? Preferably not in the middle of the night?"

"So you really want him to stay here? Him and the kid?" the human continued, ignoring D's plea. He groaned and closed his eyes again.

"Yes, I do. And if you have problems with that, you're welcome to throw some teacups against the wall or whatever it takes to calm you down. Just let me sleep."

"He can't remember me at all, can he?" Leon finally sat down on the bed and D opened his eyes again.

"Dee? No, he cannot remember anything, but I have told you that before. My father has died, and although this child is his reincarnation, he isn't my father anymore. Well, not the father I remember, anyway. Or you, for that matter."

"So he's not gonna build some bomb and blow up the shop by accident?"

D's eyes narrowed. "He is little over four years old, Leon. Of course he is not going to do any such thing. I doubt he even knows what "bomb" means. Don't mistake his looking like a human twelve-year-old for being that old."

"Have you explained any of this to Chris yet?"

The sigh came from so deep within D wondered how he couldn't sigh his guts out with it. "No, I haven't, because you weren't there and I was surprised and simply wanted to have matters cleared before I even attempted to explain to Chris."

"Well, they're cleared up now. Q-chan and -"

"His name is Dee," D said, softening a little. He could understand Leon's feelings, in a way. It wasn't often the human met someone he had killed again, much less in the disguise of a child barely older than his own brother. "And I think he would be very happy if you called him thus. He likes you."

"He can't like me," Leon said glumly. "He's never even met me if he can't remember."

D chuckled, now. "Well, then he is fascinated by you, very much, if I may say so. He wanted to meet you at all costs, already when I was still pregnant with Dana."

"Don't think Q-chan's happy about that."

"Indeed not, but if I know my father anyhow, that won't be an obstacle."

Leon looked directly at D. "But what if I don't want to meet him?"

"You won't have much choice. You will live in one shop with him for at least a few months."

Leon rose again, hastily, threading a hand through his hair. "Dammit, D! Sometimes I wonder if you dig things being complicated!" he snapped.

D rose, too, sat up in his bed. "Do you truly think I am looking forward to you and Grandfather starting a fight whenever you just happen to meet each other in one of the corridors? Do you really think I am happy about him telling me what to do and what not? Do you truly think I am not as worried that he will try to influence Dana in certain ways?"

"And why d'you let him stay here then? If you're the master of the shop, just kick him out on the streets!" Leon argued.

"And do you know anything about midwifery? Do you know how to mix teas that ease the pain of my body changing, do you know how to recognise the signs that something may be wrong with the child? Why do I have to explain everything one hundred times to you? I need his help as much as I need yours, so just accept it! And I need help dealing with Chinatown and Carter as well!"

Sudden silence fell. Leon looked at D sharply. "Carter was here?" he said slowly and sat back down onto the bed. The young kami sighed and laid back.

"Yes, he was. He indeed was, and if Grandfather hadn't turned up so suddenly, I would have told you already once you came home. I am sorry."

"No harm done," Leon replied, still a little bit stunned. "Well, at least I hope there's no harm done yet. What did he say?"

D smiled bitterly. "Remember your first few visits here and then recall all the things you said to me, only in a much sharper voice, with much less interest for the truth and much more hatred. Then you should get a fairly good picture of what he said to me."

The blonde regarded him in silence. D sighed and wound himself around his cushion. "He has the suicide letter the police never found in Janet Williamson's apartment. She accuses me flat out of having killed her, and if I'm not very much mistaken, Devon Carter suffered of a heavy infatuation with the girlfriend of his relative."

Leon rubbed his face tiredly, groaning. "Oh, great. Any other good news?"

"It seems that there are rumours in Chinatown about us – more specifically about me gaining weight and looking pale and not being wholly male. Oh, and before I forget, Carter made quite a point of stating that he knows I am not human."

The human jumped up, his eyes showing fear. "Fuck, D! We have to leave at once! Why didn't you tell me earlier – dammit!"

"Calm down!" D hissed, not wanting to deal with a freaking Leon, too. "Sit down and think for a moment. Running away now will not solve any problem. It will only trigger one thing, and that is that Carter will set up the hunt for us. Do you want that?"

"You're pregnant, D." Leon's voice was very quiet. "I don't know if what Q-chan says is true, but if only half of it is, then you should be very careful. I don't want anything to happen to you. Not during this."

"Carter has been watching us for weeks and not done anything."

"He has been _what_?"

"When I was at the park with the children, he was also there twice or trice. Calm down, Leon. He hates me – well, perhaps us – but he is one of those who plan their revenge." A small smile quirked around his lips. "He isn't another Howell or Orcot, going off to chase those they want to find like maniacs. Carter plans and takes them down one by one."

"And what do you suppose we should do then?" Leon followed the tug at his shirt and lay down beside D, who bedded his head on the broad chest and let Leon sling his arms around his frame.

"Sleep, at first," he murmured. "Sleep and then think tomorrow of what we are going to do now."

* * *

_"Hurry up, D, c'mon, get going!"_

_The voice was whispering, but the urgency was clear, and D obeyed, wrapped his arms firmly around the bundle of cloths on them and followed the tug at his arm, onto the asphalt of the street. Leon was always half a step in front of him, peeking around corners alertly, blonde head swivelling from side to side, securing, estimating if it was safe to walk around. D could make out Dana, clinging to Leon's back frightened, and he loosened one hand around his baby to pat her reassuringly, hid his own fear as good as possible to calm his child. His heart was beating fast against his ribcage and the knowledge that it wasn't just him and Leon who were in danger now, but also their children made him want to scream out his fear. _

_But instead, he gritted his teeth as they sidled through Chinatown like shadows, sneaking, breath hasty and quick, the children clinging to them. _

_They were almost in reach of the pet shop when someone suddenly shouted and the night around them exploded in feverish activity. Leon grabbed D's hand and yelled "RUN!", and they did, ran like madmen, trying to get away, but they'd walked right into the trap and everywhere they turned there were men with lights, pointing guns at them, Dana screamed and the baby started screaming, too, Leon skidded around a corner…_

_The shot echoed through Chinatown. Every other sound died. D felt Leon's hand slip out of his grasp, the blonde swayed. Dana's scream exploded in the sudden silence. "DADDY!"_

_And D heard his own cry, desperate and terrified as he threw himself over Leon and their children to protect them, to – to…_

"D! Wake up! Hell, what's the matter with you? Wake up, you bastard, now!" Leon shook the trembling and whimpering kami harshly. "D!"

Finally he jerked up, mismatched eyes wide with terror. He stared into the dark bedroom for a moment before slowly turning his head to the human, kneeling beside him and watching him anxiously.

To Leon's great surprise, D's eyes got even wider at the sight and he embraced the blonde so hard he could barely breathe. "No!" D half sobbed, half breathed. "No, you cannot – I will not permit that…!"

"Hey!" Leon decidedly disengaged himself from the kami. "What the fuck's the matter?"

"I had a dream," D answered, shivering. Leon started stroking his back almost against his will, feeling the cold sweat there and how his lover trembled, so he wrapped the sheets around him.

"What kind of dream?"

D didn't answer at once, he let his head sink forward while his hands cradled his belly. Leon could see his hands moving over the slight bulge under D's nightclothes. "Is he okay? D?"

The young kami took a deep breath. "Yes, he is quite alright, Leon, do not worry. The baby is alright. It is I who is not. I am sorry. I should not cause such uproar in the middle of the night."

"Stop talking nonsense and just spit out what kind of dream you had!" Leon snapped. D smiled at him. "I had a nightmare, nothing more. A very frightening nightmare."

The blonde's eyebrows went up to his hair. "Great. It's an easy pregnancy, you said. Cramps, puking, me puking, nightmares… sounds just perfect."

"I had nightmares already during Dana," D said and laid a hand on Leon's arm. "Back then, I used to dream that you would find out about her and in your fury hand her over to the scientists while imprisoning me at the same time."

Leon stiffened. "Nice," he commented. "You truly do have a great opinion about me, don't you?"

"Leon, this has got nothing to do with reality. My fears are mirrored in those nightmares." D sighed softly and was glad that the baby's heart had stopped hammering in his belly. This was not comfortable. Not at all. And neither helpful while dealing with the father.

"And what was it this time? I pushed you into Poison Cave?" Leon asked, still so tense he could've snapped in half had D tried to touch him now.

"No, this time you were shot," D replied dryly, knowing that he would get farther if he kept to the facts.

And indeed Leon relaxed at once and stared at the kami. "What the hell?" he blurted. "D!"

"D me all you want, I cannot change what I dreamt. And would you now please give me something to drink?"

Leon obeyed and returned a moment later with a glass of water. D drank it thankfully. His mouth felt dry; unshed tears were burning in his eyes and he rubbed a hand over them tiredly, not wanting to cry.

Leon saw the movement and softened at once. Rubbing his neck, he mumbled, "Sorry" before he hesitantly sneaked an arm around D's shoulder. For a moment the kami considered pushing him away, but then he let himself lean into the embrace. His dreams weren't Leon's fault either, strictly speaking, although they only ever came when he was pregnant with one of Leon's children.

Not that two were such a great basis for a scientific evaluation, but he could see a tendency here anyway.

"They were hunting us down, Leon," he confided into him, resting safely in his arms and feeling himself relax. "We were trying to get to the shop, but we only walked into a trap set up around the shop, and when we tried to flee, they shot you…"

"Huh," Leon said and placed a hand on the baby belly. "You too?"

"No, Dana and I and the baby… the baby was already born, but we lived… at least we were still alive when you woke us."

Leon couldn't help the chuckle. "Us?"

D rolled his eyes. "The baby and me, Leon. He probably felt my fear, and he was very agitated, too."

"Yeah, I saw that. You were trembling all over. Not like normal trembling, more like – more like one could see your heart hammering."

D smiled at the astoundingly accurate observation and then sighed, not able to shake the fear off completely. "Leon, I think we might soon get some problems…"

"You starting like Shuko now or what? D, don't even go there. You're not a fortune teller, are you?"

"No, but I think we should be careful nevertheless. Something is coming, she is right there, without any doubt. And I would not wish for any harm to befall you before your child is born."

"Oh, but afterwards they can shoot me? Ouch." Leon rubbed his arm, but grinned still. Okay, it had been low, but still. He needed to lighten up the mood.

"Carter," D continued, sounding thoughtful. "You have to do something about him, Leon. Soon. Preferably tomorrow."

"Carter? How should I do something about him?" Leon's brow wrinkled. "Well, I could talk to the chief, see if he can find some reason to get rid of him for a while, or something…"

"I need time," D said, taking a deep breath. "I need some time to evaluate the situation in Chinatown, Leon. Get me that time, please."

Leon kissed his forehead, silently promising to do his best. When D rested his head on his chest, he could feel the human's heart beating hard and fast in there, and he closed his eyes, silently praying that he would not be forced to walk the last step.

* * *

**A/N: **hieiashke: But think of the fun those two could have together... ^^

x: I'm also pretty sure that Leon's logic isn't quite like yours ;-) Not that I think you should think over your logic... Well, probably both D and Carter know how to play the game (better than Leon, in any case...) But, all of Chinatown? That'd include the Shaos... so, no, I think not quite all of Chinatown ^^

Sorry for not updating on tuesday. There were... personal reasons. But thank you for reading and reviewing still :-) Enaty


	33. Using Connections

**Using Connections**

"Get Carter out of here?" The chief leaned back in his chair and looked at Jill and Leon, who were shifting a little uncomfortably in their chairs. "Would anyone care to explain to me what is going on under my nose? I mean, I get that you two'd want Alex gone – I can even understand why, and I'm working on getting him back in line. Fine. But Carter? Why?"

His sharp eyes came to rest on Leon. "Is this about the Count?"

"Also," Leon confessed, feeling bad. He had never dragged Chinatown issues into the precinct before. It wasn't like anyone could do anything about it anyway. Poison Cave had been a special case. Everybody knew they were more or less bound to leave Chinatown alone for the next ten years after this.

"Please, Chief," Jill cut in. "Can't you get him more involved with the whole process against the Shaos? Something, anything? Just get him out of our hair for a while."

The chief glanced around and took care to speak very quietly. "Listen, you two, it's not that I'd love to get him out of here. He's lounging around far too much for my taste, but he's still FBI. I can't just call HQ and tell them that he's getting on our nerves and that two of my detectives want him out of here 'cause he's nosing around too much in the business of their best friend. Don't you think that'd sound a little bit suspicious?"

"It's not about D!" Leon hissed. "And if it was, it'd be about him threatening D!"

The dark eyes flickered to him. "Is he? And why would he do so, Leon?"

"D -" Leon took a deep breath. "That animal that mauled Janet Williamson. You know, the girl that killed herself nearly a year ago. It was D's."

"And?" the chief prompted, his face friendly, but his eyes still sharp.

"She obviously was Carter's love of his life," Jill said quietly, glancing out into the corridor. "And he's after Leon anyway, for his brother."

The chief tapped his pen on the table, a big crease on his forehead. Finally he sighed. "Fine. I'll see what I can do. It seems they're needing some help anyway. Haven't yet found their suspect in their Chinatowns, what's-his-name, Rau Wu Fei or something like that. Maybe someone could need some help, now that Carter has so much experience dealing with them."

He glanced out into the corridor, too. "You know, I'm in truth already wondering why they haven't called him back yet – everybody knows him here now. He's not even able to deal with undercover investigations anymore. Perhaps I could suggest to someone that they replace him with someone else."

Both Leon and Jill took a deep, relieved breath. The chief narrowed his eyes. "Wait a moment. I agree, provided that no funny things happen while he is away. I mean it, Leon. I don't know exactly what it is you two are up to, but I won't keep anything covered up if it's clearly the Count's fault."

"What would be clearly the Count's fault?" Leon asked, his mouth suddenly dry.

The chief looked at him for a long time. "That's a question I still have to answer for myself," he heavily replied then. "But as long as I haven't answered it, I won't make any exceptions. Not for you, nor for anyone else."

"Shit," Leon murmured when he stepped out of the bureau, his face slightly pale. Jill patted his shoulder, a little helplessly. "You think he's finally realised what D is?"

"I don't think so," Jill replied slowly. "I think it's more – Leon, did you ever consider that the chief might actually be worried about you? Like one's worried about a son?"

The blonde nearly snorted. "A son? Jill, the chief has kids of his own. I'm not his son in any way."

"You sure?" she countered as they stepped into their cubicle. "The chief has always been watching out for you, more than for us others. At least most think he has."

"Never noticed that so far," he grumbled and sat down, lounging in his chair. "Anyway, why would he? And what's that gotta do with Carter now?"

Jill sent him a sharp glance. "Aren't you aware of what he could get into if someone suspected that he was doing it because of you? The trouble he could get into?"

Leon moved uncomfortably. "Yeah, I know. He'd probably have to deal with an investigation himself."

"My point," she agreed and sat down on his desk. "So why do you think he does this?"

They shared a long glance. "He wants to protect you, Leon," Jill finally said quietly. "He doesn't yet know from what or even from which direction the danger is headed, but he wants to protect you. And perhaps he even will want to protect you from D one day, if he finds out that D is what endangers you."

"D's not endangering me in any way," Leon protested and Jill smiled, very thinly. "No, not your life. Not that. But maybe he's endangering who you are, Leon. You ever thought about that?"

* * *

Sofu stepped inside his bedroom with a teapot once Leon had left for work, and D prepared himself for another round of arguing and disagreements. Really, considering that both Leon and Grandfather were so intent on him not aggravating himself, they for sure aggravated him a lot.

"And again, he leaves you alone," the eldest said straight out.

"He has to go to work," the younger replied.

"And he feels comfortable in here when he is here? In this bedroom?" Sofu pointedly looked at the tree that overshaded D's bed.

"He does not have much time to concentrate on the furniture of my bedroom when he is in here," D dared to voice. Sofu's lips were one thin white line.

"Nevertheless, I am quite certain that the shop is – how would he pose it so eloquently? – 'freaking him out', yes, that would probably be his words."

D sighed softly, trying to make himself comfortable in the bed. "Grandfather, Leon is a human," he reminded the elder kami gently. "And he is a very clever human. Of course he is freaking out sometimes. The shop is not made for humans."

"Which is exactly why you should not keep him here," Sofu insisted with tight lips. "You know that as well as I do. Only tragedy can come out of this."

"We are trying, Grandfather. We are trying so hard, can you not at least honour that?" D's mismatched eyes were pleading and tearing at the elder's heart. He knew that his grandson loved the human, and he was not blind to the fact that Orcot returned his love. But still…

"Human and kami were not made for each other," he said decidedly.

D shook his head. "And why have others of our kind chosen human companions then all the same? I know there have been Halflings like Dana before." A small smile crossed his face when he laid a gentle hand to his belly. "You cannot deny that, Grandfather."

"I am not denying anything. Do you want some tea?" Sofu's lips were pursed, but D ignored his grandfather's attempts at changing the topic.

"What happened to them?" he asked instead.

He hadn't expected Sofu's reaction to that question. The elder kami carefully sat down the teapot and looked at the table for a moment, then up at his grandson without a word. His golden eyes were telling yet another story, one D wasn't sure he wanted to hear, one that again spoke of tragedy and death…

Invariably he clutched his belly, feeling cold fear yet again. "Tell me they are not going to die," he said, feeling it crash down on him. "Tell me, Grandfather!"

"No, they will not die," Sofu replied, his voice grave. "Not they."

D stared at him for a moment, terrified by something in this voice. "What will happen to them?" he asked, his voice choked. A thin-lipped smile appeared on Sofu's face.

"I heard that there are quite some rumours about you and him in Chinatown. Is it true that the Shao family was arrested due to his insistence?"

"Do not change topic like this, Grandfather," D warned, his eyes blazing. "What happened to them?"

The eldest pursed his lips. "Do you ever think about the fact that this shop was never constructed to take humans in? Do you ever think about the fact that by forcing it to accept your human mate, you are doing it a great injustice?"

"Do you ever think about the fact that the shop never signalled that it doesn't want to have Leon in here?" D countered, his voice icy. "He has been living here for so long now; I am sure I would have noticed if it wasn't pleased with his presence."

"And what about him?" Sofu glared at him darkly. "Do you think about what changes he has to go through to make this work?"

D's throat worked for a moment, but nothing came forth. His grandfather smiled grimly. "I thought as much. You and he, both of you are so naïve. You think that his acceptance will ensure your happiness."

"We never expected that to happen on it's own," D replied quietly. "We are both changing for the sake of each other. And we are doing it of our own free will," he added with a sudden bout of defiance at his grandfather's look.

"Maybe," he said, his face carved in stone. "We will see how long it will be possible for you both to hold on to the changes. I asked you a question. What is this I hear about you and the Shao family?"

D narrowed his eyes, but knew he wouldn't get anywhere discussing this further with Grandfather. "I helped their daughter to escape to New York," he replied. "Against her mother's explicit wish and despite the fact that she intended the girl to become my wife. I am afraid a few citizens are everything but pleased that I chose Leon as my mate and not one of their offspring. They have made several attempts at 'curing me from my folly'," his grandfather raised an eyebrow at the sarcasm, "but, as you know, that isn't possible. Since they do not know it is impossible, I would not put it past them to take other measures to get rid of him."

There was a long silence. Then Sofu spoke again. "You should be very careful, my grandson. If I remember right, Shao Xi was a very ambitious and ruthless woman."

"Which is exactly why I did what I did."

Sofu grazed him with a quick look. "You wanted to help the child? Excuse me if I do not believe this."

"I wanted to make clear that it was within my power to take something from her should she try to take something from me." D's voice was very calm, with only a little edge of malice. But Sofu understood. He rose and looked at his grandson for a long time.

"You see what I mean? You have to choose now. Between your family and your duty. And there might come the day when you will not be able to make the right decision in time."

* * *

Ten-chan was surprised when his master touched his shoulder and shook him out of watching James sleep. He looked up to see D's rather pale face and the big eyes. Hurriedly he clambered to his feet. "Count, what's the matter?" he whispered, not wanting to wake the child. D shook his head, put a finger to his lips and signalled him to come along. In front of the back door of the shop he finally spoke.

"I need to go and see Yi Jonas, Ten-chan. Do not tell anyone where I went, please. I do not want Grandfather to know what I am doing. Should Leon come home, you can tell him, but no one else, understood?"

"And what about Chris? He's going to come home in an hour and you still haven't talked about Dee, have you?" Ten-chan protested, following the kami outside. D shook his head, but his thoughts were clearly elsewhere.

"We will deal with it later," he murmured and slipped away. Ten-chan's brow wrinkled as he walked back into the shop, thinking very hard.

* * *

"Yes, I know what I said – listen, it's not my damn fault!"

Leon stopped at the voice that suddenly sounded outside the toilet stall he'd taken cover in. He really, really didn't need Jill coming in again to help him. He hadn't even been truly sick, just a little queasy again. Queasy and – to his great embarrassment – very sensitive in parts of his body he seldom acknowledged. Like his nipples, for example, but also his lower back. It had hurt the whole morning and it had been such a relief to just sit up straight against the cool tiles of the wall…

No wonder whoever had come in hadn't taken notice of him. Suddenly Leon realised that he hadn't even locked the door – it showed that this stall was empty. He'd just forgotten about it, in his hurry to get to the toilet, and when nothing had happened, he hadn't cared about it either…

"I _know_!" the someone hissed. "It's not as if I'm happy with it, but I can't do anything about it either! What am I supposed to do, tell my superiors and the chief here that I need to stay here to take this precinct's beloved Count D down? I've used up every fucking excuse I could find, but I can't… Well, I'd like to see you try – everyone here is so enamoured by him that nothing and no one can do anything against him. Perhaps that dumbhead would have been able to – yes, I _know_ who he is, that's why I say _would have_!"

Leon tensed up. He had recognised Carter's voice now alright, and it wasn't a question who he was talking about. Sounded like the chief had been able to do something – strange, it had only been a few hours since they had talked to him. The look in his chief's eyes was still fresh on Leon's mind, as well as the sudden odd feeling he had gotten when Jill had said that strange thing – that D might be endangering who Leon was. What nonsense, D would never force Leon to change like he had forced D to change…

His attention was snapped back to the talking man, who now hissed in dislike. "You really think that? Well, that just shows why the Count was able to win over you… I don't care for what they do, I _am_ going to take him down – him and his stupid traitor. You'll get your revenge, don't worry. We'll both get our revenge. But I don't want to end up in prison like you, so I will do this my way and not yours, understood? I'm American. I'm doing it like I want to do it."

The door was slammed open and Alex' breathless voice filled the room. "Sorry, Agent Carter, but there's someone on the phone for you, from HQ. Seems they want you to talk to your replacement."

Carter turned and let a curse loose at the harmless Alex while Leon wished to have a baseball bat to drive through Alex' useless head. Just at the right moment, just when Carter had been about to give him some more clues…!

The two men left the toilet, arguing loudly. Leon waited for a good five minutes before he sneaked out, too, trying to be invisible. He managed quite well and got back to his cubicle, from where he could see Carter standing at his desk, snapping at whoever was at the other end.

"They called him back of their own accord," the chief spoke up behind him and made him startle. The man seemed both relieved and even more worried than before as he looked at Leon. "I don't know what's it with this guy – ever since we wrapped Poison Cave up, he's become more and more suspicious. I'm not surprised that HQ called him back, but…"

He sighed heavily and scratched his head, finally giving Leon's shoulder a pat. "Forget what I said this morning, Orcot. Just be careful, okay? I don't think we're done with him yet…"

Leon glanced again at the fuming agent. For a second, their eyes met, and Carter's narrowed in such hatred that Leon shuddered almost involuntarily.

No, he didn't think either that they were yet rid of that one. The question was if it was good or bad that he wouldn't be able to monitor his movements now anymore.

* * *

"Chris, this is Dee. He is my – son. Not like Dana is, but he still is my son."

D smiled at the two children as they carefully shook each other's hand. Leon watched them alertly from his place on the sofa. He was petting Pon-chan, but his mind was not in it, and the raccoon had to push his hand to the right places. But he was so caught up in everything going on between his brother and the new child that he didn't even notice when he absent-mindedly petted Pon-chan's backside rather than her back, causing a scandalised and hurt look at him.

He had no eyes for her. D sympathised with his feelings, yet he thought that Leon should really try to stop acting so strange around Dee. Every time the child addressed him, he startled as if Dee had tried to lay hands on him. D wondered if Dee even noticed. He seemed absolutely fascinated by Leon, and had been following his every step since Leon had come home. D was only glad that Grandfather was at the moment rather busy in the back of the shop, having an argument with Ten-chan, so he could introduce the humans and Dee to each other without Grandfather's disapproving glares.

Chris glanced at him after letting go of Dee's hand. Dee looked between Chris and Leon, then blurted "You look totally alike! Just like Father, Grandfather and me!"

Both Orcots startled and Chris edged back a little. It wasn't like he was really suspicious, but he had noticed, like D knew he would, that the two adult kami looked rather alike. And the younger… well, apart from the fact that he wasn't fully grown and his face was yet a little round, he definitely was also very similar.

"Yes, Dee, but this will change once Chris grows older," he said softly and placed a soothing hand on the human boy's shoulder. "They are humans. They do not look alike, like we do."

Chris snuggled back into him. D slung his arms around the child's body and felt calmness radiate off the places where Chris touched him. He wondered if he wasn't as much holding on to the child as he was holding it, but a fact he had lately discovered was that once he was looking after the children, the other problems in his life seemed to diminish miraculously. Just as long as he was able to offer them stability and security, he himself felt safe and secure, too.

"Why do you look alike, Count?" the boy in his arms spoke up. D bent his head and nuzzled into Chris's hair. He smelled of fresh air, Blanca and Catherine's house.

"My species just is like that, Chris," he explained quietly. "We do not need eyes to tell people apart. What we look like is not important. We feel each other."

Chris's face lightened up as if suddenly understanding something. "That's how you always know who's behind you!" he exclaimed and the young kami chuckled at his realisation. "Yes, Chris, just so."

"Oh, okay. Guess that's pretty useful, isn't it?" D let go off him as he took a step closer towards Dee now. Leon was still watching them, but on his face D could see that he, too, had understood more now. He smiled, hoping his sudden pang of… something didn't show through. "Yes, it is, Chris. Now, would you like to show Dee the beach? He is going to live in this shop for some months now, as well as Grandfather, and I would like you to take care of him a little bit."

"Sure." The human boy beamed at this assignment and proceeded to tug Dee into the back, his first fears already forgotten.

Leon stood up once they had left, looking after them. "I thought Q-chan doesn't want him to interact with humans," he voiced, turning his blue eyes on D. The younger kami shrugged and crossed his arms, setting his chin stubbornly.

"Yes, I know what he said. But if he thinks I am going to do things like he wants me to do them, he will have to learn that I am not as susceptible as he thinks anymore."

* * *

**A/N:** x: Well... then don't say anything? ^^ But I very much hope that you are going to make it through to the end... it's not that far off anymore. And D, I think, is very much stronger than we all think he is...

Thanks, Enaty


	34. Some More Supernatural Help

**Some More Supernatural Help**

So the next morning found them all together at the table in the kitchen, still a little bit tired. At least the adults were tired; more specifically, Leon and D were, Sofu not so much. Of course, he had not been lying awake in bed half the night, pondering the new inhabitants of the pet shop and how to deal with them. Especially with the younger one of the two.

Or pondering how someone else was going to deal with them, for that matter.

"Do you want to open the shop today?" Sofu asked D, obviously making an effort to ignore Leon and Dana playing around with the girl's cornflakes.

"I would like to, yes," the younger answered and smiled as Chris went to the fridge, and, taking out some fruits, got Jamie's flask as well. "Thank you, Chris. Would you please put it into the warmer?"

"Of course, Count." The boy's face lit up with pride, while Dee was watching everything quite interested.

"I could take the children to the zoo, if you want," Sofu offered, wrinkling his brow at Dee's obvious interest. "I think it would be a good experience for them to get to know…"

"Are you gonna start lectures about how cruel it is to imprison the poor animals there?" Leon interrupted without looking at the eldest and let the spoon with cornflakes fly through the air. "You wanna have it, Dana? You wanna eat those?"

"Yeah!" the girl cried, giggling like mad. Despite the fact that she was fully able to eat herself, she liked Leon playing those silly games with her every once in a while. D strongly suspected that Leon loved playing them just as much, especially since he hadn't gotten to play them with Dana often.

"I think going to the zoo is a very good idea, Leon," he quickly said, making Sofu's face soften again. "After all, most of the animals there will be quite happy to see Dana and Chris again. We haven't been there for so long."

Leon glanced at him quickly. It was only a split second, but Dana decided in that moment to stand up in her baby chair, snatching the spoon with her mouth.

She got most of the cornflakes and milk. Most. The rest spilled over both her clothes and the table.

It didn't make it better that instead of looking contrite, she started to laugh. "Look what happened, Daddy!" she giggled. Leon sighed, but he laid aside the spoon without reprimand.

"Yeah, real great, sweetie," he replied dryly. "Chris, could you gimme the cloth?"

"Sure." Again the boy jumped up to fetch the cloth. Sofu wasn't able to keep quiet any longer.

"Why do you order him around if it was your fault that the food was spilled?" he groused angrily.

The blonde blinked at him a few times before realising what he had said. "What?" he exclaimed. "What the – I'm not ordering him around, you old -!"

"Leon, mop up the mess and then hurry, you will be late for work!"

"Oh, D, shut up, you heard what he said to me!"

"Don't you dare insult my grandson!"

"I'm not insulting him, I just said he should keep out of this -"

"I think we have heard enough now. What a way to start a new day -"

"It would not have happened had you refrained from playing with food in the first place, and it is very rude of you to make Christopher fetch the things you need for cleaning your mess up."

"I'm not making Chris do anything, you bastard!"

"And what kind of language is that again? You want to raise children? You want to be a good example -"

"What does that have to do with raising children, I wanna know! It's now forbidden to have some fun in this shop or what?"

"Playing with food is a sign of very bad manners. You should show some respect for the fact that you have food."

"Oh, nonsense! Just because she spilled some little food, it wasn't even a spoonful!"

They both had risen in their excitement, making D and the children turn their heads from one to the other. Both were quite flustered and obviously only so much short of wringing each other's neck.

"You are _not_ a good example for your child!" Sofu snapped.

"Well, you're not either!" Leon returned hotly. D's brow puckered, but both his grandfather and lover were too busy insulting each other to notice and continued to rage on. The young kami gritted his teeth. Then his patience wore too thin.

His hand met the table hard, making the China clatter in shock. "Out!" he bellowed, glaring at the quarrelling pair who stared back at him in open-mouthed surprise. "You are both a bad example for the children, going at each other like that in the early morning before even breakfast! Out now!"

"Count?" Chris piped up, frightened. D smiled at him, then his brow furrowed again as Leon turned back to Sofu, obviously planning to get on with the fight.

"I said _out_!" he hissed. "Both of you!"

"You cannot throw me out of my own shop!" Sofu protested, Leon calling "He started it!" in between.

It snapped. Roughly he grabbed both men's arms and literally dragged them out of the kitchen, through the parlour and out of the shop, while the pets and children followed with open mouths.

"Out!" the young kami repeated his order, pushed them up the staircase and glared at them. "And don't you dare come back before you have managed to pull yourself together!"

The door was slammed shut behind them. Leon and Sofu stood in the street in front of the pet shop somewhat lost, still not fully realising what had just happened.

Then the blonde shook himself like a wet kitten while the eldest took a deep breath. "Very well done, Orcot-san, now he is aggravating himself!" he chided angrily.

But Leon wasn't in the mood for fighting anymore. "Stop it, okay?" he replied tiredly. "He's right! We shouldn't quarrel in front of Dana and Chris. They've both had just enough fights in their lives."

"Oh, the human is becoming responsible!" Sofu threw his hands up in fake surprise. Leon glared and righted his jacket.

"Shut up, bitch. I'm off to work now, and you better keep your hands off my daughter and brother in the meantime," he threatened before he turned his back on the eldest kami and strode off to the precinct, Sofu snarling at his back.

* * *

"You really pissed him off this morning, didn't you?"

Jill placed her bag on her desk and looked at her friend. "Those bags under the eyes don't suit you, did I ever tell you that?"

"Shut up, Jill!" Leon groused, maltreating his computer.

"Oh, can I understand the Count kicking you out! What got stuck in your ass?"

Leon let go off his computer to glare at her. "You really wanna know?" he snapped. She got the tone alright and sent a quick glance around.

"Why don't we talk about that during lunch. In a nice diner far, far away from the precinct," she suggested in a low voice. He turned back to his computer without answering. It was lucky for them that they got called away on a case half an hour later. Once they both sat in the car, Jill pierced her colleague and best friend with looks. "So. D was positively exploding when I dropped Jamie. What did you do, Orcot?"

"I? Nothing," he gritted through his teeth. "Did he not introduce you to our new residents? Or should I better say, to his _son_?"

"His – what?" She gaped, which at least gave Leon the triumph of having surprised her.

"Yes, his son," he stated grimly. "And his fucking _asshole_ of a grandfather."

"What, wait a moment. Slow here. His grandfather is _here_? In Los Angeles? In the pet shop?"

"Here and unhappy as fuck that D actually dared to fall pregnant without asking him first." Leon hit the steering wheel once, just to get rid of some of the frustration. "Fuck dammit!"

"Yeah, D kicked you out for a reason." She regarded him quietly for a while. "So. What do I need to know about that grandfather and son to get the picture?"

Leon's throat was suddenly tight. "Grandfather's old-fashioned. He doesn't approve of me, of Dana or anyone else who has the slightest hint of human blood in him. He's also a control-freak and spies on D and the shop at every given chance. Oh, and let's not forget, he was little Q-chan, acting all fluffy and cute and darling while lying to D about who he really was."

"Uh-huh."

"And then there's Dee. Dee as in D's son. Only that he's not really D's _son_, but actually his _father_. And if you're asking yourself how that's possible, D's stupid species obviously has an inbuilt mechanism that gets them reborn every fucking time one of them dies."

"Uh?"

"Yup. Uh. Fucking problem is…"

"… fucking problem is probably that you were the one who killed D's father last time," Jill finished Leon's sentence for him. She stared at her friend for a while. "Wow."

"Wow? I fucking killed that dude and now he stands before me, looks at me with those freak violet eyes and all you have to say to that is _wow_?"

Leon was red in the face and probably about to start screaming. "No!" Jill defended herself. "Not wow in the wow-sense, just – hell, Leon, what do you expect me to say to that? Everything's gonna be alright? I never met anyone I killed again, I can't tell you how to deal with that!"

"Yeah, as if that happened to anyone else either!" he snapped back. "And I don't fucking need any advice from you!"

"Then why're you telling me?"

"Because I fucking need to tell _someone_! Someone who's _not_ D and tells me that everything's alright and that this little twelve-year-old kid can't remember that I shot him dead and that it's okay! It's _not_ okay! I _killed_ him, Jill!"

"You can't kill someone who's alive," she said, then realised what she'd said and silenced. Leon glared at her before turning to the left.

"Thanks so much for your help, Jill," he growled. "It didn't help at all."

"Look, if he can't remember, what's the problem? I mean, it's not like he's going to ask you about it, is he? Or is he angry at you because he knows?"

Leon's shoulders moved uncomfortably. "No," he said quietly. "D said that he doesn't know and that nobody told him. But I know, Jill, and I remember. I remember the look in his eyes when I shot him, and I remember the look in D's, too, and his grandfather's and… I wish he would pack him up and go back to where he came from. That little guy, he's looking at me like I'm some kind of wonder, but every time I look at him or hear him say something, it's like I can see a shadow lingering over him, and it looks like D's father."

Jill remained silent. When he met her eyes, he understood that she didn't understand. Sighing, he brought the car to a halt at the crime scene. "Well, we're here. Do me a favour and keep every asshole out of my reach today. I don't know if I might not end up killing them just to see someone stay dead for once."

* * *

Jill ended up sending him home after a while and before their shift officially ended, saying that he'd better calm down before he attempted to work again. So Leon called the shop to ask D if there was anything the kami needed. Usually he never did that, but in this case, he was…

"Well, if you are so intent on doing something," D said, still sounding pissed, "you could pick up Grandfather and Dana at the zoo."

Leon stiffened and barely managed to avoid crashing into another car. "What?"

"Stop it!" D hissed. "Yes, he took her to the zoo. I didn't see why he shouldn't, since Chris went to the park to meet Catherine and Jamie is very crotchety today. I thought it better if Dee only had to take care of him instead of Dana and Jamie."

The blonde hung up without another word and turned around to drive to the zoo.

He found them pretty soon. Wasn't that difficult, he knew his daughter's favourites. When they weren't at the penguin house, he went to the petting zoo and there they were. As usual Dana was stealing the show; every animal in the paddock was gathered around her. Sofu was standing beside her, towering over the child and his animal fans with an air that held the other parents and children well at range, with one exception.

Leon quickened his pace. Something about the woman standing there talking with Sofu D was familiar, though he couldn't tell what…

Then he remembered and ran the last few steps to them, grabbing his child. "What the hell do you think you're doing with my kid?" he bellowed at D's grandfather.

The kami regarded him coolly, as did Norma. "I am going to the zoo with her, like I told you this morning, when you were not bothering to listen to me," he replied.

"Daddy, what's the matter?" Dana asked, voice small and unsure. She felt her father's agitation and grabbed his jacket tightly. Leon smiled down at her, but he was too angry for it to reach his eyes.

"Nothing, baby, nothing. Q-chan and I are going to have a talk, that's all," he gritted out. "When you said you'd take her to the zoo, you said nothing about meeting up with your strange vampire friends here."

Dana glanced at Norma. The woman had crossed her arms, and her lips were one thin line, but so far she'd said nothing. "Vampire?" she echoed, confused. "But Grandfather said she's his friend!"

Now the one in question decided to say something. She uncrossed her arms and glared at Leon. "Do not worry, human, I won't hurt your kid. Do you think he would let me touch her? And even if I would want to bite her, it would be my death. Her mixed blood would kill me for sure."

"Norma is quite right, Detective. Now would you please stop being so peculiar? People are watching us already," Sofu hissed. Leon took a deep breath, told himself to be reasonable and nodded.

But he didn't set Dana down again while they walked to the penguin house which was at the moment quite deserted. The girl squealed and pointed to one of them. "Look, Daddy, he looks like Lucky! I named him Lucky, too!" she told her father excitedly and Leon smiled almost unwillingly.

"That's great, sweetie. You wanna go watch the penguins?"

Her blue-golden eyes scrutinised him pensively. "Will you fight with Grandfather?" she asked.

The blonde glanced at Count D and Norma, not sure what to reply. At last he gave in. "No, I won't. We'll just sit here and talk. That okay for you?" She tilted her head to the side and nodded. Leon suppressed a weak sigh. She for sure knew how to play him and D. "Go look at them for a while. Don't fall over the railing," he said.

Sometimes Dana just seemed to understand that she needed to leave the adults alone. In any case, she went and called the penguins to her, although she was barely big enough to be able to glance over the railing on her own.

Her father watched her for a moment, until he was sure that she was busy. Then he turned to the two supernatural beings. "She needs to leave. At once," he insisted, his blue eyes hard. Norma said nothing, while Sofu glared back.

"You are not the one who decides who stays in the shop or not," he clipped. "Besides, only for your information, I did not tell Norma to 'meet up with me here'."

"No, I was here because I thought if I was to get any information as to the Count's whereabouts, it would be from the animals," the vampire cut in. She seemed tired. Her skin was paler than Leon remembered and her eyes had lost the fanatic sparkle. He gulped. Well, no surprise there if… he wasn't sure, but hadn't that gay guy been a vampire, too? Or what?

He would have to ask D again. Damn, he hated having to roll up each and every old case again. Sometimes he didn't know if not knowing or D's truth was worse.

"Nevertheless, I think it is good grace that Norma is here," Sofu said, his voice still cool. "She can help us maybe."

The blonde gaped at him for a moment. Then he turned and called out for Dana. "Sweetie, we're going home. I don't think anyone needs to hear what Q-chan and I have to talk about."

* * *

Leon was so going to get killed by Sofu, but his shouting match with D about Norma was totally epic.

"No way a freakin' vampire moves into this shop also! We have just enough human-eating bitches in here!"

"Oh yes she will, you American blockhead! No one but us knows her, she will be an indescribable help with Chinatown!"

"She's not even fucking Chinese!"

"Do you know a Chinese that can turn into a bat and that we can trust?"

"Send Q-chan! He'll be useful there, the old -"

"Don't you _dare_ say it! I will _not_ force Grandfather to spy for us."

"But a fuckin' _vampire_!"

"A _friend_!"

"Fuck you!"

"No, thanks, not today, and anyway that's your job!"

A rather long tirade of curses followed, eagerly overheard by Chris and Dee in front of the door. They had met up here, quite accidentally, and with one look made a silent deal: since Dee was slightly bigger than Chris, he got the keyhole to look through, while Chris knelt and listened with his ear pressed to the door. When Leon began to curse, they both giggled excitedly.

That made Tetsu, who was just passing by Leon's staircase, hark up and see them at the top. "What are you -?" he started, baffled, but Chris quickly waved him silent and tried to catch up on the fight in there.

"Why do you even think it's necessary to spy on them? Carter's out of the picture now, isn't he?"

"Carter and Chinatown have _nothing_ to do with each other. I just want to know a little more than what I get to know via rumours and slander, that is all."

"Then talk to Yi Jonas or that terrible Mrs. Chang. They should know more'n enough."

"Mrs. Chang is a nice woman and you have _no_ right to insult her. She is one of the few who doesn't approve of you but still accepts that you are my mate, so take care what you say about her!"

"Isn't she the one spreading the rumour that you're pregnant again?"

"One can hardly call it a rumour, given the fact that it is indeed very true."

"Yeah, but who spilled the beans in the first place, I wanna know?"

"Well, it might just as well have been you, with asking Mr. Jonas what would happen should I be pregnant. Don't you think that might have made someone as intelligent as the Jonas's suspicious?"

"Then why that freaking _vampire_?"

"To know for sure where the rumours come from! To be able to deal with them in the right fashion!"

"I hate this fucking shit! Damn this goddamned curious-bitch Chinatown!"

"_Watch_ your language! We both knew that we would not be able to keep it secret forever, and what we have to do now is deal with given facts."

Leon cursed very loudly and very long. Chris and Dee in front of the door got glittery eyes. "He is amazing!" the youngest kami breathed. "I never learned so many new words on one day before!"

"Yeah, but the Count shouldn't hear them, remember," Chris told his friend and giggled at Tetsu's face. "Oh T-chan, don't be angry. We're not going to curse, promise."

"Yeah, yeah," the mystic beast grumbled. "You're gonna end up like your brother. Both of you. And who's gonna get the problems? Me!"

Ten-chan appeared from behind them and wriggled his way to the door behind which Leon and D were arguing. He put his ear to it and then glimpsed through the keyhole, his face taking on an almost satisfied expression. "Oh yeah!" he murmured, the tone of his voice making all three hark up. "This is real good, baby…"

Tetsu's elbow hit his ribs, hard. "Ten!" he hissed, looking at the very red Chris contritely. The fox straightened and laughed softly.

"I didn't mean it that way," he said, eyes twinkling. "Really, I'm not that frustrated yet. I was talking about Leon holding the Count's hand. That's all he's doing, promise!" he added, seeing their unbelieving looks. Tetsu decided to double-check and then turned from the keyhole with a relieved face.

"Well, you could at least sometimes take care how you voice something as long as the kids are around," he grumbled, petting Chris's head. The boy ducked and rolled his eyes.

"I'm not a baby anymore, T-chan!" he protested and the totetsu grinned, guiding them all away from the door. Ten-chan followed last, grinning at the barely discernible sigh that emanated from behind the door.

Yeah, holding his hand. Holding something else, too.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm a little late, it seems. However, I think I still made it on friday, did I?

x: Well, I hope you will find the answers you're looking for (you're of course welcome to ask, however I cannot promise you an answer since I won't spoil my own story ^^') And we'll just wait and see what is going to happen with Carter and his gang now, okay? ;-) Thanks for the review!


	35. Cuddly, Comfy Jill

**Cuddly, Comfy Jill**

Surprisingly enough, Sofu said nothing about the fight about Norma. Tetsu and Ten-chan both suspected that it was because D had stepped in before the eldest could even begin being angry at Leon; perhaps it also helped that Leon was clearly experiencing the same problems D was, perhaps even in a stronger fashion, since he was barely able to sit down due to the ache in his back for almost three days.

D for his share started being very irritable and snappy, being everything but happy that his chest had now started to grow in earnest. It itched, it hurt, and he refused to carry any child or pet on his arms for a week, being so sensitive that he winced even when putting his clothes on. Leon saw, tried to make amends, but wasn't able to do much. Especially since D now also refused to let him touch the small, sensitive breasts even when they were having sex.

What really helped was that the child moved for the first time, surprising not only Leon and D, but also Sofu, since the baby belly still wasn't more than a slight bulge in D's belly, not even noticeable under his clothes, if those weren't of the tight kind. Yi Jonas happened to be there when it moved for the first time; D suspected that the sudden astounded look on his face had made her quite suspicious, since a very secret smile graced her face when she left the shop, but she had not said or asked anything. He was glad for that; not because he didn't want her to know, but rather because a teatime at Mrs. Chang's had proven to be quite annoying in that respect. It seemed that what Carter had said was true; Chinatown was suspicious and keeping an eye on certain areas of D's body. Yet he was sure that it was nothing more than a rumour and that the origin wasn't to be sought at Yi and Patrick Jonas. In contrast to Leon, D had known the couple for years, and also knew that both never let on on what they really thought if they didn't trust anyone. He was sure that if they suspected, or even knew, they wouldn't be the ones to confirm any rumour without D's consent.

Norma was able to finally convince Leon about that, too, for she got to hear several other rumours, one more absurd than the other. There were rumours that said that D hadn't been showing up in public because he and Leon had split up (one could quite guess where that one came from, especially since it was very popular amongst the younger people) and didn't want the public to know. Another, whispered amongst the elders, said that Shao Lin had never left Los Angeles. They were parted on what had happened to her; one half thought that the Count had killed her to show the Shao family his power, and they were rather afraid of him now; the other half murmured that someone like the Count could really choose his lovers, and wouldn't it be rather… time-consuming if he had gotten himself another?

Luckily so far nobody had noticed that the population in the shop had increased again, for Sofu was very careful to keep himself and Dee out of any visitor's sight. Chris grumbled when both Leon and D strictly forbid him to talk about Dee, but he adhered that rule, mostly; Catherine met Dee once by accident in Chris's room, but that was okay. The girl didn't have any other friends in Chinatown.

That Carter was gone now helped a lot with things in the precinct, though. Jill was able to tell that Alex seemed to have lost his joy in stupid pranks since the agent had left, and things in Chinatown also slowly calmed where Poison Cave was concerned. D was relieved that Leon soon forgot about the nightmare he'd had and got back to being normal worried about him.

Not that this didn't make things complicated enough.

* * *

His bedroom door slammed closed behind him and D leaned against it, trying to breathe slowly and deliberately. His own heart was beating so hard in fury that he barely felt the child's pulse beneath it, which was, much to his relief, calm and undisturbed by his own. If Leon and Grandfather wouldn't soon manage to get along with each other, he would… he would…

"Argh!" A rather undignified sound, D thought silently, but one that expressed his frustration just right. Those two dumbheads! Imbeciles! Idiots! Over-worried mother-hens! Stupid fighting worried ignorants! How could they dare! How could they dare to fight over what was best for D! Without even _asking_ him what it was that _he_ wanted or needed!

Striding over to his bed, he grabbed a few cushions and immediately proceeded to throw them at the poor tree overshadowing his bed while he let the words he'd bitten back a few moments ago stream out of his mouth.

"Stupid – dim-witted – idiot – dumb – foolish – daft – _relatives_!"

Hearing his last word, he let go of the cushion and chuckled a little helplessly. Relatives. That was not, as far as he knew, a curse word. But what else was he supposed to say to his two dearly loved, but also dearly aggravating?

Sighing, he sat down on his bed. In the far distance he could hear the shop's main door slam shut. It sounded like Leon – Grandfather had a habit of closing doors very quietly when he was really angry. So they would have peace for the next few hours, while Leon was at work. Relative peace, since Grandfather would be very wound up now and start going on D's nerves about the human again. Or, if he would be kind enough to let D alone, he would take Dee to some room to lecture the poor child about human insolence for at least four hours. D really pitied his father; Grandfather had always liked to talk about human faults, but in his memory those lectures hadn't extended one and a half hours at the most. The child now got all the frustration Grandfather felt at Leon being in the shop.

Oh, truly! Grandfather was so old, shouldn't he be able to deal with Leon by now? Even as Q-chan, he had never made such a fuss about the human. He had never made such a fuss about _any_ human before.

D strongly suspected that Ten-chan was right in assuming that the reason for Sofu's dislike was to be found in his relationship with the human. Most of the things Sofu brought up were things that bothered D as well, such as Leon's language, his table manners, his tendency to say things before thinking about them.

But Sofu did not have all the other things that made up for Leon's temper and character faults. He did not have a loving mate, a trusted friend and a personal clown to make up for all the anger and grief Leon caused him.

Yet, D was not in the mood to forgive his grandfather yet. Throwing the last cushion back onto the bed, he went out, calling for the children.

* * *

Half an hour later a very surprised Jill sat down on the sofa after having shown Chris to the bathroom. "You are not serious," she said. "They honestly started quarrelling about if you should wear a bra or not?"

D nodded, his face still angry at the remembrance. "Dana only mentioned our visit to that boutique, and Grandfather blew up like a bomb. You cannot even begin to imagine what he said to Leon. He accused him of being everything from a horny lecher up to a tyrannical women-hater."

Jill gaped. "Leon. I mean, are you sure we are talking about our Leon? Okay, I'd probably have come up with something similar to the first part, but the second… Does your grandfather even _know_ him?"

The young kami sighed and Ten-chan cut in, smiling at Jill. "Not very well, and he is inclined to not get to know him better, too. He's an old bitch about humans."

D tried to silence him with a look, but it was no use. It didn't exactly help either that Jill's cheeks suffused slightly as she looked at the young man, who had insisted on coming along. So instead he tried to change topics. "I am sorry for imposing on you like this, Jill, but I just needed some time out of that shop…"

She smiled. "Oh, never mind. You're not imposing at all. I'm happy to have some company – thought I'd have to spend my day alone with Jamie again. Mind you, not that that's such a terrible thing," she added hastily, glancing at where her son was trying to imitate Dana, who in turn was building something with Lego bricks. "But you know, it sometimes gets kind of boring, being alone with such a small child… I'm sorry. You've got that every day, I only three days a week. I shouldn't complain, really."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting some company with which you can talk about more than building bricks and picture books." D hid a smile behind his cup and then saw Dee and Chris sitting down on the floor, obviously not really knowing what to do now. "Do you have any cards, Jill?" he asked. The woman followed his gaze, winked at him and got up to fetch them.

* * *

His stomach gave a lurch already when he saw the eldest sitting in the parlour like a stone statue.

It didn't get any better when he rose, inquiring icily, "Where has he gone to?"

Leon stopped dead in his tracks and looked around the parlour. "Where is D?" he asked back. Sofu glared at him. "That is what I would like to know, human. He went out, taking all children and that insufferable fox with him, and I have not have word from him ever since."

No reason to start getting worried. Ten-chan would be keeping an eye on D.

"When did he leave?" Leon wanted to know nevertheless, trying to hang up his jacket as nonchalantly as possible when his stomach was acting so funnily.

"Six hours ago," Sofu gritted through his teeth and Leon stopped in the middle of his action.

"_Six hours_ ago?" he echoed. It wasn't like D to stay out so long. Not when he was with the children, not when Leon didn't know where they were.

The eldest tried to pierce him with a glare. "This is all your fault," he hissed. "You are the one who encourages him to act in such inconsiderate ways!"

"Wha – hello, D's old enough to know what he does!" Leon protested, his anger sparked anew. He didn't know what it was about Q-chan that rubbed him in such a wrong way, it was just _there_. He knew he would have been able to deal with the batbunny, but this talking, walking beast of a grandfather made him just so fucking angry.

"I raised my grandson to be polite and sensitive towards the ones he cares about. It is your fault that he has turned away from us in such a way."

"He just grew up, you old bitch. Every child grows up sooner or later," the blonde replied, growling now. "Just because he didn't grow up to be exactly like _you_."

"Causing problems, that is all that you can do!" Sofu's voice rose to heights Leon hadn't even heard from D yet, no matter how enraged the kami was, and he didn't get why the eldest was so angry all of a sudden.

"Now just take a break!" he protested, but the other would not be stopped.

"All of this is your fault! You were the one who made him miserable in the first place, you are the one who will make him miserable again. You endanger him carelessly, you disregard his feelings, his needs, _everything_ about him! You only ever cause problems he has to deal with when you have left him alone with them again. I wish he had never met you! I wish you had never been born! If it had not been for you, my grandson would never have had a lot of problems! He would not have fallen pregnant, would not have had to flee from you, would never have come to Japan, and Rau Wu Fei would never have had a basis to blackmail him with – much less would he have thought of kidnapping my grandson's child to force him to act according to his will!" Sofu screamed, hatred discontorting the pretty face.

A million synapses fired in Leon's head, all at once. He staggered back as if Sofu had actually hit him in the face.

_"Does the name of Rau Wu Fei mean something to you?"_

_"- what's-his-name, Rau Wu Fei -"_

_"- looking for someone in the Chinatowns -"_

_"That just shows why the Count was able to win over you." _

_"I am going to take him down – him and his stupid traitor. You'll get your revenge. We'll both get our revenge." _

_"I don't want to end up in prison like you."_

_"I don't want to end up in prison like you."_

_"I don't want to end up in prison like you."_

"What did he do to him?" he asked, his lips white. "What did he do to that Rau Wu Fei?"

Sofu's mask broke and he looked at Leon with confusion in his golden eyes. "Why, he of course made sure he will never bother him again." He showed a few too many teeth in his smile as he spoke the next words. "I would, of course, have made sure by ending his pathetic existence, but warm-hearted as my grandson is, and in his foolish joy over your return, he just sent him to prison."

"Taizu!" Leon choked.

"Of course Taizu, who else?" Sofu's face didn't get any friendlier, but quickly dissolved into complete surprise as Leon only jumped up and ran out. "Where are you going, you imbecile? My grandson does not want to be found!"

"I don't fucking care!" Leon yelled back. "I don't fucking care if he wants to be found or not, I have to find him before Taizu and Carter do!"

* * *

With a little sigh, Jill closed the door to her bedroom and stretched, making the bones in her back crack a little bit. Then she tiredly smiled at D. "I don't know how you manage them. I mean, I love Jamie, but sometimes he's just so much work that I don't even want to imagine what it'd be like with more kids."

"One gets used to it pretty fast," D replied and poured her a cup of tea. With another little sigh, Jill sat down opposite to him and sipped.

Then they both sat and looked at each other for a moment. Finally a small smile cracked their faces and Jill leaned forward to help herself to a slice of cake.

"I'm sorry," she apologised. "It's just that you've only been here once, and only to pick Jamie up, and I'm kinda feeling strange, with all those children in my bedroom and all of that, you know."

All of that meaning Ten-chan. D smiled into his teacup. Oh, as if he hadn't noticed the looks those two had been giving each other. It wasn't as if the air sizzled where they met – but a certain tension was definitely there. And Jill was more than pleased to see the fox and her boy. Pleased, but at the same time confused.

Well, perhaps he could talk to her about that, now that Ten-chan was in the bedroom and out of reach. He knew what the fox's intentions were, but he had no idea what Jill's opinion on the matter was yet. And if she had even realised what was going on here…

The woman in question favoured D with a curious glance. "Dee really looks a lot like you. No wonder Leon is so freaked out if you all look so much alike and he – well, he -"

"Shot Dee in his former life," D said, undisturbed. "Yes, I know. It is very difficult for him, but I still wish he would be calmer about this. Dee cannot remember anything. I don't know why he is so fascinated by Leon – maybe" a smile played around his lips, "it's genetic."

Jill chuckled. "Genetic?"

"Yes," the young kami asserted and made himself comfortable on the couch, for the first time noticing that his belly was starting to get in the way. Not much yet, but enough to notice there was something. Smiling, he caressed his bulge. "My father and I never were close. He never told me much about his life, nor did he know much about mine. But when I saw him on the evening he died… I cannot say what it was. Something in the way he acted towards Agent Howell. Something in the way he was so very intent on not helping me with Leon's injuries. The way he was hiding behind his fan." Unconsciously his hands repeated the movements he had seen his father do. Jill watched, fascinated, as he plunged into his memory.

"And then something in the way Grandfather reacts whenever he notices that Dee is friendly towards Leon _and_ Chris. Grandfather likes Chris. He always has, and even if he might not show his affection anymore, now that he is back in his real form, he still likes Chris. He is quite friendly towards him – but only as long as Dee isn't in sight."

"You think that maybe your father and Agent Howell…?"

D sighed and let his hands drop, looking a little miserable. "I now wish that I had cared more about Father. I wish I had asked him so many questions when I still had the time. Whatever happened between him and Howell, it wasn't like it is between Leon and me." A smile made his lips quirk. "I am most assuredly a complete kami."

"How do you know?" the woman asked, sipping her tea. D spread his hands. "My degeneration is best proof of that," he said flatly. "The changes I show in contrast to my relatives. By the time my father gave birth to me, my family had not reproduced for almost twenty generations. The ancestor back then had begotten himself with child, and every time one of them died, he completed the rebirth."

"So it was just two of you, all the time?" Jill asked, fascinated against her will. D smiled a little. "Well, I suspect – I am not sure, but I suspect – that a few times one of us tried begetting themselves with child, too. But the frequent rebirths weakened our bodies, and if there were children, they must have died very soon. My grandfather has not told me about it," he added, seeing Jill's brow wrinkle. "It is what I deduced from a few remarks, and some pets' words. If the lone reproduction – or if you wish, you might call it natural cloning – would have worked, I am sure that my species would not hover just above the brink of extinction. No, I am quite sure that the problem was that the genes were already so fragile that no offspring could be produced anymore."

"And how come you are here today?" she wanted to know, looking at him with something resembling pity. But it wasn't the pity people usually felt for an extinct species – it was more as if she really felt the loneliness he sometimes felt, understood what it was like to be so alone amongst the humans, who had so many options to choose from and still never managed to do so…

D smiled at her warmly. "My father was a quite stubborn being, right from the start. He didn't want to go on like we had done, and he decided that he would give it a try. It must have taken years for him to fall pregnant. Just imagine his joy – and then his fury when my grandfather told him that he had done wrong and that his child was doomed to die." He stared at the liquid in his cup. "But I lived. I had severe degenerations – like my eyes, or my heart. It could not be healed, not with what we knew about ourselves. So Father must have decided to fall back on the human ways. Around the time I was born, there were great developments in both medicine and genetics. He went away one day, and I never saw him again until the night he died."

"Do you remember anything about him?" Jill's voice was so soft he could barely hear her. Blinking a few times, he shook his head.

"Grandfather never spoke about him, safe with spite and scorn. I remember a few moments – a warm hand on my head, arms around me, but nothing more. I was never quite healthy, and especially when I was very young, I slept much more than normal children do to compensate for the exhaustion. It got better when I was about two years old, in human time. At that time my species has already developed as far as a human eight or nine-year-old."

There was silence in the room. He tried to breathe slowly, stroking his belly. The child had begun to make weak movements; probably it shared his emotional turmoil.

"Can I – could I – you know, embrace you?"

Jill's voice was almost meek, and D looked up to meet her eyes with surprise. She smiled a little sadly. "I know. Asking this sounds so totally stupid. But I'm not Leon. With you, I just never know. I've wanted to embrace you so often, so many times, when I could see you were totally down, but I've only dared on so few to just touch you…"

D blinked another few times and smiled as he held out his arms. Jill's sheepish face cracked; she smiled, too, and came to hold D in her arms, warm and smelling of child, tea and cake.

"It's stupid, isn't it?" she murmured into his ear, but D shook his head.

"No," he answered quietly. "Leon won me because he never was afraid of the barricades I put up around myself; but I didn't put them up for nothing. Tearing them down without asking any kind of permission is in most cases not very wise."

She chuckled. "Oh yeah, that sounds like Leon alright. He doesn't mean harm with it, you know."

"But he still does harm."

They let loose a little bit and looked at each other for a moment. Then, as if on some unspoken agreement, D leaned back and Jill rested her head on his shoulder, coming to lie beside him on the couch. "D, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Even if it hurts you?"

"Jill, if there is anyone else in the world besides Leon I would allow to hurt me, it is you."

She took a deep breath. "Why did you never tell Leon about Dana? You had to know that he isn't a guy like Alex – and you had to know that he loved you."

D smiled as he rested his chin on her head. "I did, Jill. I did know all of that. But what I did not know was if I would be able to deal with the love between us. You see, in the terms of my species, I am still very young to be a parent. Leon once said that I do not fit into the usual teenaged-mother-scheme, and he is mostly correct with that. I have lived a life that has shown me more of the world than many people get to see in their whole lives, but I never _lived_ it, if you understand what I mean."

"I think I do. We socialise; we find friends, we quarrel with them, we fall in love… all those stupid things every generation does again, with exactly the same mistakes as the one before them."

"Exactly. I never had the chance to do so. My father was always absent; my grandfather loved me, but one person isn't sufficient exchange for a society. As for the pets, I do not doubt that many of them taught me a lot of things, but they could not teach me the things I had to learn for a relationship with a human."

"So you were afraid?" Jill voiced after a moment of thinking.

"Deadly," D replied quietly. "And most of all, I was afraid of myself. Of what I had suddenly discovered about myself. You have to understand, even though I slept with him, I was not ready to acknowledge that I had found my mate in Leon. I considered it impossible. I thought I was in love – like so many of my customers. An infatuation, a fling, something that wouldn't last. And when I realised what my body had done – I don't think I really started to process the fact that Leon really, truly is my mate before he was shot. I always thought I had some kind of choice in this matter, although we had a child, although we were a couple…"

Jill looked up at him and smiled. "Funny, you know. That we humans always wish to be gods, and you end up having the same problems we have."

The young kami laughed softly. "Yes, I guess it is."

She studied his face. "And now, D? What is it like now, with the second child? With all that has happened?"

He tugged her tighter and smiled at her. "I live, Jill. I do not claim to be perfect at it, but I am alive, finally. I am still afraid of many things. I still fight with myself. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. But through it all, I know that I have someone at my side, and even when you drive me mad, my human pets are there to help and understand me."

She suddenly blinked very quickly and freed one hand from his chest to rub her nose. "D, don't say such things. It's not me who's that important to you…"

"Yes you are," D interrupted her. "You are, Chris is, even Sandra and Leon's family are. Every one of you has added his piece to who I am today, even if it was only in shaping Leon into the man he is today." He kissed her forehead, very lightly. "And I am more grateful than I can express that you exist. Even if what your species does can never be pardoned."

She smiled at him and then quickly, as if ashamed of her smile, hid her head in his shoulder. D chuckled and petted her hair. "Why, what do you think, maybe we should take a photo and have it published in some newspaper? Do you think it would convince Chinatown that we are the real couple and not Leon and I? I'm sure he has told you about those quite idiotic rumours that you are Dana's mother."

"Yeah, he did. But we could try, you know. We'd be the better couple anyway," she replied, grinning now and propping her head up again to look at him. "I mean, just look at us – the perfect harmony, isn't it?"

There was a sound at the door; someone rang. Jill started giggling. "A million on that being Leon. Just like him to disturb our idyll." D wanted to stand up, but she hindered him. "Don't bother, he's still got the spare key. He'll let himself in. What do you think, should we maybe surprise him with a hot lesbian kiss when he comes in? You wanna bet how far his jaw can drop?"

D started laughing. "What? Jill, are you -?"

"Ssh, he's coming!" she hissed, hearing the key in the apartment door. "Just hold still -!"

And before D could say or do anything, he had Jill's mouth on his, her grey eyes sparkling with excitement and mischief. He had never before kissed anyone but Leon – well, if one didn't count the kisses that had been forced upon him by women (and men) like Anessa Battory – and in a sudden bout of curiosity he opened his mouth and started kissing her for real, closing his eyes.

After all, if he was a teenager, he could act like one every once in a while.

A key landed on the floor with a crash. "What the -?" Leon got out. D blinked in his direction, seeing his mate's jaw hanging open, his eyes nearly bulging out.

Neither he nor Jill had expected Leon to start screaming like this.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND, D? TAIZU'S AFTER YOU AND YOU START MAKING OUT WITH JILL! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

With two big steps he was at the couch and dragged a rather startled Jill aside, who started to protest, batting his hand away. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" she snapped, shoving him back while D sat up, looking at them with big eyes. "You know fucking well that we're just joking!"

"You may be, but Taizu and Carter for sure aren't!" the blonde man yelled. "Do you have any fucking idea how fucking worried I was about you, D? I come home and no one safe Q-chan is there, who tells me that you've chosen to just up and vanish, taking all of the kids with you, going to god-knows-where, coming back who-knows-when -!"

Jill and D exchanged a look and then both stood, determinedly forcing Leon to sit down on the chair. He sputtered, but was too surprised (and probably just too weak in contrast to D's strength) to do anything against it. Jill knelt down beside her friend while D poured a cup of tea. "So, and what's the matter now?" she asked calmly. "What's the matter with Carter and who's that Taizu?"

Leon took a deep breath, not leaving D out of his sight. "Q-chan said it. Q-chan said that you sent Taizu to prison before you left Japan."

"Yes, I did," D replied, surprised. "But why would that -?"

"He's not in prison anymore," Leon cut him short. "He escaped. He's in America, nearly dead sure in some hiding spot of the Shaos."

The kami felt as if he'd been doused with cold water. "_What?_"

Jill looked between them. "Okay, might someone want to tell me what we are talking about in the first place?"

D laid a hand on Leon's thigh, which was gripped immediately, as if Leon was afraid that he would vanish again the moment he let go. While he gulped down his tea, D filled Jill in on everything concerning Taizu. At the end of his lecture, her face was as serious as Leon's.

"You're probably right," she addressed her friend. "And that's everything but good. Why in hell didn't we get to know earlier?"

"I didn't know Rau Wu Fei and Taizu are the same person!" the blonde defended himself. "I mean, how could I? You always talked about Taizu."

"I did. That was the title he was called in Neo Chinatown." D sighed. "This would of course explain the sudden power of the Shao family. If they now have Taizu's family backing them up from China… no wonder Shao Xi could rise to such heights. But how could Agent Carter -?"

"Easy," Leon said glumly. "He had Poison Cave. I bet he and Mrs. Shao found out only too soon that they're both not too fond of me. And he arrested them, he was the one who met them every time one of their employees was in court. I can just guess how that happened. And once she found out that Carter really wanted both of us dead, it probably wasn't too difficult for her to get him to work together with Taizu, too. I mean, all Carter's after is us. I don't think he cares much about the fact that Taizu's wanted, as long as he helps him bring us down."

Jill winced. "And what now?" she asked. Leon's hand squeezed D's so hard he almost thought the human would break it.

"We're leaving. Now. I won't risk any of my family on some lunatic's revenge trip."

D suddenly rose. "We are not!" he protested. "I am not going to run away from Taizu! Never!"

"Brother? What's the matter?"

They all startled and turned around to the bedroom door, where Ten-chan, Chris and Dee were standing, blinking into the light. Ten-chan's face was serious. Chris was quite clearly still sleepy, but Dee…

D sent the kami child a sharp glance. His eyes were sparkling in a way that made him suspicious. Could it be that Dee had been standing there for a while already? If so, how much had he heard?

Leon pulled himself together and smiled at his younger brother. "Nothing's the matter, Chris, nothing. I'm just here to pick you all up and take you back home."

"But, we were -" The boy stopped at the look on his brother's face.

"We are all going home. Now." The blonde's voice tolerated no opposition. Jill looked at D, silently asking his opinion, but the kami only nodded. Perhaps it really was best if he and Leon discussed this first in the privacy of their own bedroom. Once they were back at the pet shop, an area where Leon very well knew that nothing would happen to them, he would calm down and be more reasonable.

So Jill helped them gather their things and carried a sleeping Dana down to her car. D at first wanted to protest and remind Leon that Jill only had one baby seat and none for Chris or Dee, but seeing the look on his mate's face, he shut his mouth again. It didn't seem like Leon was in the mood for such considerations.

Luckily nothing happened on the way back and Leon managed to put all children in their beds in record time. Sofu was nowhere to be seen, so D sat in the parlour and waited, looking around, playing with his hands, petting Pon-chan and fidgeting in general. Ten-chan, who had stayed there too, seemed to want to say something, but every time he closed his mouth again and just waited like D.

Finally Leon came back to the front. An air of quiet determination surrounded him. "I meant it, D. We're leaving as fast as possible," he said.

D stared at him. "You. You want to leave. The one who never, ever thinks about the danger before jumping headlong into it. You expect me to leave Jill and Jamie, run away in the midst of a pregnancy and resume a life of fleeing and hiding. Now, when we have just found some peace."

Leon glared outright. "This isn't peace, D, this is war! And I personally don't feel like I'm up to that kind of war. I don't know when someone is going to strike, I don't know how to protect you against it, I don't even know where the danger is coming from!"

"That can easily be found out, and if I may remind you, Norma is already working on it," D said calmly. "Running away head over heals now would be a most stupid thing to do. Do you want to take Chris with us? Do you want to take him away from his friends and family? If we start to flee once, it might take months before we can settle down long enough for him to be able to send a message to Mary. Do you think she will be happy about that?"

"She'll probably be happier with that than with Chris dead!" the human snapped. Now D started to heat up, too.

"Chris is not, nor has he ever been, in danger!" he replied hotly. "Not as long as he is in this shop!"

"And what was that about Carter stalking you all? What was that about Taizu nearly kidnapping Dana from the shop in Tokyo? You call that _safe_?"

"It's safer than it would be would we flee now!"

"And how so?"

D glared right back. "Do you really think I would want anything like Tokyo to happen again? When I brought the shop back, I made sure no one and nothing can enter here against my will. I put up defences around this shop, the power of which you can barely imagine. Should Taizu try to enter the shop, he would receive a very nasty surprise, and the same is true for Mrs. Shao and Agent Carter."

"Then why were they in here a few times?"

"Because I let them in!" D snapped. "If you wish to, you can try it. Go outside and try entering while I don't want you to. Help yourself! I am not going to run away! Not before I have given birth to my child in peace!"

Leon's face contorted. "Perhaps you should think about what could happen to that child if you don't run away now! Why do you have to be such a stupid hardhead? And don't tell me it's so difficult for you to run away during your pregnancy! You've more than enough experience with that!"

The kami's face took on a rather dark shade of red. "Don't you dare mention that! I swore I would never force you to leave the shop again! I swore I would not draw you into this madness my life consisted of so many years!"

The blonde snarled. "What the fuck does that have to do with the shop? And you're not fucking forcing me, you dumbhead, but I'm gonna force you!"

"This has to do with the shop insofar as humans aren't allowed onboard!" D hissed. "I don't even _know_ if I could turn the shop into the ship while you and Chris are in here! And do you have any – _any_ – idea what might happen to you if the shop decided that it doesn't want to have you here while it changes and takes flight?"

Someone behind Leon murmured "Ouch!" while the human silenced and stared at the kami. "So it's real, this 'humans aren't allowed aboard', isn't it?" he said, his mouth dry. "It isn't just a saying."

D leaned back in his chair, suddenly looking tired. "No, of course not. And you might just happen to die a very nasty death should you try to board without the shop's acceptance."

"But you are the shopkeeper!" Leon exploded and earned another glare.

"Yes, I am, but in contrast to what you humans believe, the fact that I am the master does not make me the dictator in here! The shop, as well as every one of my pets, still has its own free will, and if I start fighting against it and forcing it to something, I might destroy it in the end. Do you want that?"

"Goddammit, no, I just want you to be safe!" Leon screamed, losing all control. The few pets in the parlour fell absolutely silent as he raged on. "I just don't want to come home one day and find you all dead in the parlour, 'cause I wasn't there at the right time! I don't want to have to explain to my fucking child why his father was murdered just because he wanted to give birth to him! I don't want you _dying_, I don't want you _suffering_, I just don't fucking want anything to _fucking happen to you_!"

D sagged down in his chair, closing his eyes, as if Leon's rage had pulled every strength from his body. The fury deflated, making way for a bad conscience. The blonde knelt down in front of the chair, taking D's hand.

"I'm sorry, D. Let's not fight anymore," he said, trying to be reasonable. "Please. I'm sorry. I didn't want to aggravate you."

He could feel the kami's dismay, but he bent forward hesitantly. Leon heaved a silent sigh of relief and met D's lips…

"What the hell, D!" he screamed, jerking back. D brought his finger to his lips and smiled cruelly, letting him see the tiny droplet of blood on the blue nail.

"If you do not want to listen, I will have to show you," he replied, his eyes gleaming in a way that promised trouble. Lots of it. "I am not a child, neither am I unable to watch out for myself, no matter what Grandfather says. So don't you dare treat me like you do at the moment!"

Still unbelieving, Leon brought a hand up to his face and felt his cheek. There was a cut right beneath his left eye, not deep, not dangerous – D had taken care, after all – but stinging and reminding him of just who exactly he was dealing with here.

Fury boiled up in Leon. "Fuck you, you bastard!" he yelled, jumped up and left the shop, slamming the door shut behind him. "You sick inhuman bitch, care for yourself if you don't want me to fucking help!"

* * *

**A/N:** anonymous: o.O "too far for you" meaning you won't continue reading? Oh dear - it's gonna get much worse yet... ^^' Won't you gimme a chance, please?  
Well, seeing that their relationship is unbalanced by nature (I mean, one being a god-like kami and the other a mere human), it's not that surprising that compromises usually end up not being compromises at all... at least that was what I thought while I was writing it...  
However, seeing what Leon has already been able to deal with, I think the same as for D applies to him, too: just a little stronger than one would think at first glance...


	36. Taking Own Measures

**Taking Own Measures**

He returned not even an hour later. D had moved in the meantime; he was sitting on the sofa, looking down on his hands, a troubled look on his face. Leon stopped in the door, suddenly insecure. The young kami slowly looked up, at him, his mismatched eyes a little wide.

"Leon -"

"No, D, wait -"

"- I am sorry," they both said at the same time. Stared, and then chuckled helplessly. Leon finally moved fully inside, placing his jacket over the sofa and sitting down on it himself. "I'm really sorry, D," he repeated, looking fully at his lover. "I know I'm terrible at the moment, I'm just…"

"You don't have to explain," D hastily interjected. "It is my fault as well. I keep forgetting that – well, your memories of pregnancies are not the best, probably, and so far I have appeared rather weak, too…"

They smiled at each other wearily. "Why're we just so good at fucking everything up?" Leon asked, and despite the hopelessness the question implied, his voice sounded almost cheerful. "I mean, hell, most human women would be more'n happy if their husband kept acting like I do. You know, with all that protective stuff and so on."

"Human women usually aren't thrice as strong as their husband," D remarked dryly. "Grandfather is right from time to time, Leon. Our relationship presents problems not only in social convention sense, but also in other respects, up to you living in the shop and not being able to fully accommodate my needs during the pregnancy. These are things we cannot solve right here and now, they have to be prepared in advance. Fleeing now is not possible, not if I want to take you and Chris with me. And I do not know what consequences for the child would result if I went without you."

"How long do you need to prepare all this stuff then?" Leon asked, sighing a little. D tapped his lip. "Time, Leon, is very relative in this shop. I do not know, to be honest. I wish I did, but at the moment our best guess is staying and sitting it out."

"No, it isn't." Energy seemed to return to Leon as he sat up straighter. "Chris and I could take my car. We don't have to be on the ship, we can…"

"… use the human ways of transport and lead any pursuer straight to our new hiding place," D finished dryly. "No, Leon, there is no sense in this. Not as long as I am pregnant, anyway."

He lightly touched Leon's forehead with his hand. "Let's go to bed," he whispered. "First thing in the morning I will call Mrs. Jonas and see what she says. And then we can decide."

Leon opened his mouth, clearly wanting to argue.

"I promise that if it turns out to be truly as dire as it seems today, we will leave at once and find some way to cover your and Chris's tracks at least for long enough to ensure your safe escape," D said firmly. Leon seemed to think for a moment, but then he nodded and let his head sink forward to rest on D's shoulder. "I promise everything will be alright," the kami whispered into his blonde hair. "I promise, Leon."

He continued whispering for a few minutes before he carefully waved at Ten-chan. The fox came, favouring him with a half amused, half worried glance. "He's gonna kill you if he finds out you bewitched him," he said, taking Leon's body up with almost no effort.

D smiled and got up himself. "Yes, maybe. But if he is to think clearly tomorrow, he needs to sleep now."

* * *

The chief barely waved Leon off when he said that he needed the afternoon free. By the wrinkles on his forehead, the younger detective could tell that some case had proven to be more complicated than anticipated, and his suspicion was confirmed when he heard him arguing with the state attorney on the telephone as he passed by his bureau again on his way out. Picking up the cake D had ordered in the morning, he went straight back to the pet shop, glancing at his clock nervously and hoping that Jill would be able to slip out soon, too. Yi and Patrick Jonas had promised to come at three o'clock straight, and he didn't want to wait too long to discuss everything. He could feel the adrenaline in his veins and knew he was far more jumpy than usual when he walked through Chinatown. Suddenly every face seemed to hold the hint of conspiracy, and he didn't like it at all.

He met Dee and Chris on the stairs on their way out, both with an expectant look on their faces, which made Leon suspicious. So he stopped his pace and held his brother back. "Hey, squirt, where're you going?" he asked.

"We're going to meet Catherine at the swings in the park!" Chris told him excitedly.

"To the park? And Dee's coming with you?" Leon's eyes switched to the kami child, which was obviously excited.

"Chris told me about his friends, and I asked if I could come and meet them," he blurted out, face eager. "And he said it's okay!"

While the kids were quite happy about that, Leon's mind raced. Because he really had the distinct feeling that Q-chan hadn't been informed of his great-grandson's plans for today.

"You sure that's a good idea? What's Q-chan gonna say?" he dared to voice, but neither seemed to understand what he was going at.

"They're my friends, they're not gonna mob him!" Chris protested, insulted by his brother's doubt. Leon hastily amended. "Chris, I know that, but nevertheless Dee's, you know, Q-chan's responsibility and he might…"

"Orcot-san, might I inquire why you are holding my grandson back?"

Talk of the devil. Inwardly the blonde rolled his eyes before he turned to his unofficial grandfather-in-law. "I was only asking my brother where he was going, 'cause I wanna know where I might have to start looking for him," he snapped.

Sofu raised an eyebrow at him. "Christopher is in the shop and finding him here is not difficult at all."

"But I'm going to the park," Chris interrupted. His affection towards Q-chan had suffered considerably since the cute bat-bunny had turned back into the old kami grandfather. "Catherine's waiting for us at the swings, and we're gonna be _late_."

Leon wished his brother had listened to him. Sofu's eyebrows shot up so quickly he wasn't even sure he'd seen them move.

"Excuse me, Christopher, but who will be going with you? Surely not your brother, as he will probably have to return to work."

Chris pointed at his new friend. "Dee, course," he said, with a voice that said "Duh, who else, stupid?"

Sofu would probably have been angry only at that, but combined with the meaning of Chris's words, he became outright furious. Glaring at his great-grandson, he grabbed his wrist and pulled the kid to him. "You are not going to leave the shop, Dee!" he hissed. "How often have I told you that you are to stay inside and only leave if your father or I are with you?"

"Now leave him alone," Leon started a last try to rescue the situation, but knew it was useless by the blaze in golden eyes. Sofu ignored him and Chris and started scolding Dee in Chinese, pulling him back into the shop. At first Dee was surprised, then he resisted the tug at his arm, but Sofu was stronger. The child began to argue, and before Leon and Chris knew what was happening, he and Sofu had started to fight. Leon sighed deeply and pushed his brother back down the stairs, who was staring at them with wide eyes.

"C'mon, Chris, forget it. Dee's not gonna get out of this shop today, and neither are you."

Chris forgot about Dee as he gaped at his brother. "What?" he exclaimed.

"No argument, Chris, you're not going to go to the park today. Call Catherine and ask if it's okay if I drop you at their house," Leon replied curtly.

"But I've been at them so many times and it's weird!" the boy argued, resisting his sibling. "It's not polite – ouch, Brother!"

"Get in, Chris!" Leon hissed, seeing the first few faces poking down the stairs to where they were standing. Great, now he was locking his brother up in this damn shop just so nothing would happen to him… fuck this damned Chinatown!

Once inside, he saw that Sofu had obviously only managed to tug Dee back into the parlour, where the kami child was now standing, lips pressed tight and arms crossed, staring at the wall in sullen silence.

"Here, Dee, there you have him back. You can play in the shop today," Leon said, pushing Chris slightly towards Dee, who lighted up, in contrast to Chris, who sulked.

"But we have an appointment with Catherine!" he insisted.

"And you can't go today, that's it."

"Why can't we go? Just because Q-chan doesn't want us to? That's unfair!"

"Leon, Chris, what is the matter?" D started, coming out of the back, looking a little haggard. He'd obviously been working still. Leon got a bad conscience.

"I'm sorry, D, I didn't want to disturb you, but they wanted to go to the park…"

D looked at all three of them. "Oh," he said. "I see."

And he did indeed, if the dark look he gave Leon was any indication. It said quite clearly what the kami thought about Leon trying to keep Chris in here.

The human moved his shoulders uncomfortably, but didn't back off. Chris, whether D liked it or not, was still Leon's brother and thus, his main responsibility.

Finally D gave in, sighing. "Chris, your brother is right," he turned to the human child. "You cannot go to the park today, not without one of us being present. I'm sorry."

"But why?" Chris cried out, starting to get confused and frightened by their strange behaviour. The adults quickly exchanged a look.

"Well, perhaps D will let you invite Catherine to tea…" Leon said slowly and could see D taking a deep breath.

"Yes, that's a good idea, Chris. Why don't you call Catherine and ask her to come over for tea? You can have it in your room. I will tell Tetsu to give you the chocolate cake he made yesterday."

Chris lightened up, but was still suspicious. "And Dee?" he asked, glancing to the kami child, whose lips were parted hopefully. D looked at him, too, then into the back, as if looking out for his grandfather.

"Dee will help me for a little while," he said decidedly, then dropped his voice to a murmur. "Until your guests have all arrived."

Both kids beamed and Leon smiled at D thankfully. Keeping the children out of harm's way would be very difficult from now on. He only hoped they would be able to deal with that.

* * *

"So that's what I heard," Norma finished her report and thankfully took the teacup D was handing her. Yi Jonas had taken out a fan and was fanning herself, her face serious, while Jill kept sending glances at the eldest kami and Ten-chan.

Now the Chinese woman flipped her fan closed. "She is right, Count," she agreed. "Those rumours have been flying around for a while, just ask Mrs. Chang for confirmation. But nobody actually believed them to be true…" She flipped the fan open again. "My god, it's warm in here!"

D blushed slightly, while Leon rolled his eyes upwards. D wasn't only a frostbite when he could be _gotten_ pregnant, he was also one when he actually _was_ pregnant. At times.

"However," Yi Jonas continued, "the power is fading already again. What with half their employees being imprisoned at the moment…"

"Yi, dear, that doesn't make them any less dangerous," her husband cut in. "In fact I think it's rather the contrary. Of course they aren't as free to act as they were before, but they make up for that by being angry and aggressive. The triad is never an enemy to be underestimated. Count, with all due respect I would advise you to leave before the situation escalates."

Yi's face fell, but D decidedly shook his head. "We cannot, for several reasons," he said firmly. Much to Leon's surprise, neither the professor nor Yi Jonas argued with him about that. Was he the only one who always kept asking why? Not even Jill…

Oh. Well, she was of course far busier watching Ten-chan and Norma, a pensive expression on her face.

"If… Miss Langley has already managed getting to know so many rumours, couldn't she also try poking deeper into the triad?" his friend now spoke up. Leon flinched and Norma deigned Jill with a toothy smile, lined with malice.

"Detective Freshney, 'Langley' was the name I used to find Alexander. It is in no way my real name, so please just call me Norma," the vampire said. Leon could see Jill shuddering slightly. Ten-chan saw, too, and placed a hand over hers. She looked up at him, surprise and insecurity written over her face.

"I am sure my grandson would never dream of forcing you to get yourself into such danger, Norma," Sofu D now cut in, his brow wrinkled, although Leon had noticed that he wasn't as averse to Jill as he was to him. Another point for Ten-chan's theory.

"No, Count D, I'm sure he would not." Norma smiled at her old… was Q-chan a friend of hers? Leon didn't know. He didn't know so many things about D's family, he suddenly realised again with a pang. "Nevertheless, I think Detective Freshney does have a point. I have made some dubious friends by now, I don't think it would be very difficult to further infiltrate the triad. Perhaps I could even get close to Mrs. Shao and her friend."

"They are holding together very tightly now, don't forget that, Miss Norma," Patrick Jonas pointed out. His dark brown eyes were alight with interest. This had to be a situation out of his dreams. Two kami in one spot, not to mention a mysterious friend with sharp teeth…

Leon really liked the professor. That didn't diminish his opinion that he was slightly nuts.

"Yes, and officially we're supposed to arrest you for pretending to be an FBI-agent," he put in, seeing Jill nod in approval. "Actually we're in deep trouble already now for not getting you handcuffed and taken to the precinct right away."

Norma chuckled at that. Patrick Jonas looked at the two detectives, his face sympathetic. "Well, Orcot, I'm afraid you will have to decide if you really want to arrest her or spy for you," he said in his low, warm voice. "I can understand the situation this puts both you and Detective Freshney in, but as far as I understood, Miss Norma didn't really commit any severe crime, did she?"

"Well, she drugged our colleagues," Jill replied dryly, her eyes hardening at the remembrance. "And she helped a wanted murderer…"

For a second, something like overpowering pain flashed in Norma's eyes. "I did not help him, I was looking for him myself!" she hissed. "My only crime consists in wanting to keep him safe!"

"Norma…" Sofu spoke up, his voice warning. She quieted and looked at the two detectives expectantly.

D sighed and thus gained all their attention. "To be honest," he said, "there is nothing I would rather love to do now than somehow get the triad and Mrs. Shao out of the picture."

"Well, that could be easily accomplished with one visit…" Sofu spoke up and was shut up by the glare his grandson levelled at him.

"Meaning that I want them behind bars for the rest of their lives," he finished grimly, breathing a silent sigh of relief when both Jill and Leon relaxed again. Ten-chan looked at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

Then, out of the blue, he said, "I'm going with Norma, Count."

"What?" Jill exclaimed, almost jumping up from the sofa where she sat beside him. Her eyes were wide and unbelieving. "You're – you cannot – you're barely a child!"

In that moment Leon was really grateful that everyone here was perfectly trained to keep their expressions straight. Even he himself managed for once, while Ten-chan's face softened and he patted Jill's hand again.

"Well, I look like a teenager, that's true," he admitted. "Nevertheless, I am a tad older than sixteen, Jill."

"Kitsune?" Patrick Jonas spoke up, his eyes sparkling like wild. His wife elbowed him, but she smiled at the two on the sofa. "If yes, Detective Freshney, he's probably five times as old as you are."

"A little more than only five times, actually," Ten-chan acknowledged, his smile turning to a grin. "But, age aside, if Norma does not have any objections, I think I could be of help."

"No, D, you can't…" Jill turned to her kami friend, her eyes pleading and telling that she didn't really believe in what Ten-chan had just said. But the younger Count shook his head in regret.

"I'm sorry, Jill, but I don't think we have much other choice than to take his offer. And I am sure that nothing will happen to him," he added soothingly at the worried look on her face. Leon caught the hint of a smile on Yi Jonas' face before the woman hid behind her fan. Her husband winked at him.

"Real annoying, those things, aren't they?" he murmured. Leon chuckled.

"Leon…"

"Jill, listen here, D and I can't leave," he stated firmly. If D said that he wouldn't, there was no way in hell Leon would be able to force him to leave. It didn't do anything to diminish his own worry.

Or hers, judging by the way she was biting her lip. "There are thousands of ways they could get at you," she said, looking thoroughly unhappy. "I mean, they could even install a bomb in your car and wait for you to blow up."

"Jill – can I call you Jill? – we aren't talking about American gangsters here," Yi Jonas interrupted and leaned towards the younger woman. "We are talking about Chinese triad high society. If they take revenge, this revenge is taken in a way that the victim quite clearly knows who caused his death and why. It is an old society. Revenge is a matter of face-to-face."

"Still…"

"It could take months until we get enough proof to lock them up. I can't stay in the shop the whole time. I'd go crazy, you know that."

"And what about D's…?"

"I can conduct my business from inside the shop and here I am as safe as I can be," D firmly stated, his eyes beseeching her not to let anything slip. Not even towards the couple.

She relented hesitantly. "I don't know, D. I really, truly think it would be better if you moved. You know, just out of here. Somewhere safe."

"Somewhere safe is not a place on this earth," the young kami said quietly. "Not for me, Jill, you know that. And, as things are, at the moment it is impossible for me to leave. Not only because I do not want to, but also because I cannot."

"We're running in circles here and nothing gets better in the meantime." Ten-chan's firm voice cut through the tension in the room. He sat up straight, hands curled into fists in his lap. "Carter's already out of the picture so far, that means that for the time being Leon has at least nothing to fear from the precinct. And if Norma and I get to work straight away, our chances for finding a solution before everything goes downhill are perhaps not the worst."

"That's a word, kitsune." Patrick Jonas sat up, too. "And remember, Count: if you need help, whatever Yi and I can do, we will."

D smiled at the couple and Leon felt his mood lighten a little bit. Perhaps Ten-chan was right. Perhaps they really did stand a chance still.

In the following departure and commotion, Jill slipped into the back, almost unnoticed. But green eyes had caught her nevertheless.

"Jill? May I have a moment?"

She spun round, already half up the stairs to Leon's room. Her eyes were slightly rimmed. Ten-chan hesitated, then he walked up until he was standing right in front of her and could look straight into her eyes. She avoided them. "What it is, then? I have to pick up Jamie, you know."

"Yes, Jill, I know." Ten-chan's voice was slightly impatient, but he calmed himself down and took a deep breath. "Jill, listen, I know this came as a surprise -"

"You don't say. No, actually I knew the whole time that you were just another of the Count's pets," she snapped, and something like hurt became visible on her face. "It would've been nice to get some kind of warning, you know? Instead of sitting in there and making an idiot of myself for being the only one who doesn't know who you are."

"I'm not one of the Count's pets." Ten-chan looked away now, too. "I'm sorry, Jill. I didn't – being in the shop tends to mess up my caution a bit. Usually, outside, I would have been aware of the fact that you can't possibly know about me – my kind. But you are so familiar with everything else, the shop itself, the Count… I just assumed you knew about me, too."

She leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, okay, great. So what are you, then? If you're not one of D's pets?"

"What did you assume I was?" he countered, locking his arms firmly behind his back. Tetsu around the corner lowered his head to hide his smile. It was amazing how shy Ten-chan became when it came to touching Jill.

Her gaze wavered from the fox to the stairs and back. "I don't know. I just – I've been wondering the whole time what exactly you are to D. I mean, what with his job, and everything – I knew you couldn't be wholly human." She quickly looked at his ears and then away again. "I kinda thought you were someone like Chris. Or Dana. Someone who's not wholly human, but has been taken under D's wing."

Tetsu laughed quietly, glad that he wasn't facing Jill at the moment. Ten-chan, he knew, would have a hard time now keeping his face straight.

"Jill, I'm actually far older than the Count, although you are kind of right with the assumption that he has taken me under his wing. He and the shop are my refuge when I need to take cover for a while or just don't want to wander anymore." The fox's voice was soft, and only the slightest hint of amusement shone through. "That's what I am, originally. A wanderer, an adventurer and a shapeshifter. A kitsune. A kind of fox. My species is…"

"Hey, Ten-chan, where're you? Norma wants to leave!"

Leon's voice from the front made the two on the stairs startle. Tetsu cursed inwardly and took off to keep him out of their hair for at least another few moments.

Ten-chan's ears picked up his steps. There wasn't much time left, that much was for sure. And he wouldn't have many opportunities to talk to Jill in the coming weeks, perhaps months.

Gently he took her hand, and she, surprised, loosened her arms and let him. He brought the hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it. "I promise, Jill, that I will return safe and sound, and then I will explain everything to you. I swear on my honour that I will," he said and looked up at her, his eyes holding an indefinite expression. "Please have patience until then. The Count needs my help more at the moment, but I will return to you. I swear."

He let go off her hand quickly and vanished in the depths of the corridors while Jill stayed back and stared at her hand.

* * *

**A/N: **Oh dear god. I'm awfully sorry. I couldn't update on Good Friday since I was home with my family and simply forgot to bring along my laptop - and then, just when I was about to update on tuesday, my part of the city was being evacuated because they found a bomb at some building site. Sorry T.T I really didn't do it on purpose and I didn't forget either. I just couldn't make time before now.

x: Okay, then I'm relieved *takes a deep breath* "That woman coming back" meaning Adrianne Ward, I presume? No need to worry about that, promise...  
Concerning the rest you said: you're right, of course. The kami are creepy, they are overpowering, they are the ones who make the rules - and Leon is someone who pretty much hates someone else making the rules. The point of this story was never (well, okay, in the very beginning, but that was before I even was done with Unexpected) to find the miracle (solution) for their relationship. I very much believe there ain't one. And, although you may not be glad about it or even agree with me, I was very glad to read in your review that you felt this way - 'cause it's exactly the way I would feel in Leon's shoes, too. So, thanks a lot :-)


	37. The Cure for Leon's Worries

Since I feel really bad about not updating on time, I dug out this chapter... but here's the **WARNING** for it: THIS IS DEFINITELY **M-RATED**! Leon and D are going to have sex in here (and pretty soon, too). So - don't like, don't read, can we agree on that?

(People with no interest in sex, but in the story, look out for these here: #+#+#+#+#+# That which is in between, you might want to skip.)

**The Cure for Leon's Worries**

D rolled around in the bed, put weight upon his belly and sleepily jerked up. The child was silently turning in there, obviously awake but not kicking and punching wildly. The young kami smiled and caressed his hopefully future son, dwelling on the differences between him and his sister even in this early state.

Then he noticed what had woken him up was the emptiness of the bed beside him. His eyes wandered to the door opposite to Dana's, catching the faint light in the other room. Sighing a little, he took the first garment he got into his hands. Leon's Judas-Priest-shirt. Even with the bulge of their son, D could have fitted twice into it; but he didn't think about Leon's old, worn-out T-shirts anymore. They were as much him as the blue eyes.

When he opened the door quietly, his gaze at once fell on the human sitting at his desk. He was hacking something into his computer almost angrily, brow wrinkled in dismay. D glided over and placed his hands on the blonde's shoulders. Leon startled, turned and smiled up at D.

"Hey. What's the matter? You okay?" He moved his chair back to allow D to settle in his lap. Having wriggled in to his satisfaction, the young kami wrapped his arms around his mate's neck before he answered.

"I am quite well, thank you. You should really stop worrying so much," he said, making Leon smile again.

"You're the right one to talk. I shan't worry, but you can have nightmares and deal with those Chinese assholes and the shit about the pregnancy."

He looked pretty sad all of a sudden. D slipped a hand into his hair and caressed Leon's head. "We both know you're not suited to deal with them," he replied gently, knowing he could say so now, that it was no longer something he had to be afraid of voicing. Leon sighed and looked even unhappier.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know that, D. And I'm trying to come around, I really am. But now that Q-chan's here too -" He shrugged. "I'm so superfluous."

"Are you really? Were you not the one who realised that Taizu and Carter are in alliance? Were you not the one who managed to have a lot of important triad members arrested so that they now have a much harder time getting at us?" The young kami never stopped massaging Leon's scalp while he talked. The human relaxed slightly.

"Well, okay, but he's still the big one in here. I'm just – decoration."

D kissed Leon's lips before he could go further. "Not for me," he whispered against them. The arms around his waist tightened possessively. One hand slipped beneath the fabric and stroked the baby belly. "Yeah?"

He smiled warmly into those blue eyes, thinking that as beautiful and special as they were, not even Dana's could quite match them. "Yes, my dear Detective," he replied, half teasing, half serious. "To me, you are much more than simple decoration. You aren't that good as decoration anyway. You're far too jumpy."

He triumphed silently when Leon smiled, the sadness disappearing again. "Yeah, I guess," he consented. The young kami tightened his arms around him again.

"Leon, you know that you are special to me," he said, now talking in earnest. "You are my mate, my friend, my partner… the one and only human I have ever allowed so close to me."

"The one and only?" Leon teased gently.

D's eyes narrowed, but he purred. "Yes, the one and only, and you know that very well, my dear Detective. You're just fishing for compliments."

Leon laughed softly. "Me? Never. That's your job. I'm just making sure you haven't kept something from me again."

They smiled into each other's eyes, reading something in there no one else would ever be able to understand, sharing memories no one else had. Then D bent to kiss Leon again. "Now that I've answered your questions to your satisfaction, will you finally come back to bed?" he asked. "It's cold and boring in there without you and neither the baby nor I like either."

The blonde again laughed quietly, but he didn't budge, instead burrowed his head in D's neck. "Can we stay here?" he asked, muffled by D's body. The kami smiled and gently disengaged himself from Leon's grip, going over to the bed in the corner and pushing aside the covers. Lying down on the mattress, he patted it invitingly. Leon too pushed himself up from his chair and got rid of his jeans and shirt before lying down beside D. His mate followed his actions with glittering eyes. When the human drew the covers over them, he snuggled close and wrapped Leon's arms around himself.

"Are you better now?" Leon asked, smiling.

D kissed him. "Much better, my darling Detective. And you?"

The blonde was quiet for a moment, then he sighed deeply. D knew that the subject was still busying his lover. He just wasn't one of those humans who could let go from one moment to the other. It was another trait he loved so dearly.

"I suppose it's kinda childish, isn't it?" Leon asked, confirming his suspicion. "Feeling left out just because Q-chan's here now and got all in his hands?"

"Not at all," D replied. Leon's hand again went to their bulge. "He is a rather overpowering figure, and he knows how to be in the middle of events."

"No shit." The human chuckled. "If the baby's gonna turn out like your whole family, I'll have to wear bright red shirts to get any kind of attention at all."

"No."

Leon propped up his head and looked at him inquiringly. "No?" he inquired curiously.

D held his gaze. "No," he repeated. "You'll just have to look at me."

He put Leon's hand to his cheek, a shy smile stealing onto his lips. "I would not miss you by my side for anything in the world, Leon. Do not think that just because my attention is often set on other things I have forgotten you. I cannot. I could not forget you. I need you to be there, have to feel you at my back, watching out for me. That's where I need you. Not Grandfather, or Father or any of the pets. You."

He blushed, realising how sappy that sounded, but did not take back his words. It was true, in a weird way. Not because he'd always been meant to be with Leon Orcot, LAPD detective, orphaned with a kid brother and stubborn as a mule, but because Leon had come to him at a time when he'd been lonely in a way, on his own for the first time and starting to feel that something was amiss in his life.

Leon had filled that void without either of them noticing at first. Had been there when the customers had long since left, had come when no one else was thinking of D. He'd always been so different to the other humans, watching D, trying to understand what was the matter with him. The kami had felt his eyes on his back, uncomfortable at first, but slowly, unexplainably, the looks had stopped bothering him and instead become reassuring. Even when Leon had frightened him to the very core of his being, when he was angry at the blonde or disappointed, the looks had always told him that he still was there.

How much he had missed them in those two years apart from his very own human. Suddenly nobody had been there anymore, watching out for him. Only when he had run from it had D realised how much it meant to just have someone there looking out for you.

He was very well aware of the fact that it could have been someone else. But it had been Leon.

Said human cleared his throat, still looking down into D's pensive face and obviously reading his thoughts in there. He lowered his eyes when the kami snapped out and smiled such a sweet smile at him that Leon blushed involuntarily. "Yeah, I know," he mumbled, embarrassed. "I'd rather not miss you either."

D's hand cupped his cheek and he allowed himself to snuggle into the caress. Yeah, he did know about that. Had taken him a long time to realise, but finally he was beginning to get it into his stupid thick skull. He just needed to be told sometimes that he was important to D, too. Especially now, when everything was in such chaos again…

"You are worrying about the triad and Carter again, Leon."

D's eyes searched his face, softly reprimanding him. He sighed deeply. "I can't help it, D. I just can't help thinking about it all the time. When I'm with the kids, when I'm with you, today, at the precinct, after that little meeting. I'm worried, D."

"I know," the kami whispered. "But we cannot let this overshadow our whole life. We cannot let them have so much power over all of us."

Leon gave a half-snort. "I know, D. I know that, and I'm really trying, but I just can't help thinking…"

"Stop thinking," D's voice whispered into his ear. A shudder crossed Leon's frame. It suddenly sounded so… different.

"D, what are you -?"

"I'm going to help you put all those things out of your mind, that's what I am going to do."

"But how…?"

"I think we both know very well how one puts all other problems out of a man's brain, don't we?"

"D, even a guy has his limits, and I'm really not… in the… mood…"

Leon's breath staggered. "D, what are you… doing…?"

#+#+#+#+#+#+#

The kami didn't answer. Leon wouldn't have known anyway what he should have said, for he for the world couldn't find words to describe what exactly D was doing there. He could taste D in the back of his mouth although the kami wasn't even kissing him, and feel his hands on his body although D wasn't even touching him, and there was something getting stuck in his throat he couldn't define…

His penis had never gotten so hard in such a short time, he was pretty sure of that. It wasn't like he was really horny, but his body's reactions still seemed to indicate that he was. He made a strangled sound, coming from the back of his throat, and then his brain was suddenly overridden by the faint shadow of orgasm.

Much to his surprise, his body actually did orgasm. Wow. What the…?

And then it finally hit him full on. Suddenly Leon's whole mind was filled with the feel of D's skin on his, D's hands on his body, D's mouth on his, kissing him hungrily. His brain was totally blown by this – his body wrecked with the orgasm he hadn't felt building, but which results he got now. It was very unlike any other orgasm he'd ever had before, glowing and filling his body with warmth and moving around his feelings, wrapping them up in the happy, relaxed glow.

Wow. Leon suddenly kissed D back, with considerably more enthusiasm now. Having sex right now seemed like the best fucking idea the kami'd ever had.

D made a satisfied sound, something like a hum, and to Leon's rather great surprise, managed to stuff Leon's cock into himself, although it was rather… limp at the moment. Wow. He actually tried to forget about that again, not wanting to imagine just how he'd done that and what it must've looked like…

Yay!

"Again!" Leon breathed, closing his eyes and shuddering all over. He could practically _feel_ D's smirk as he squeezed his muscles around him and his cock responded at once, coming to life again. One long leg slid around his waist and D turned them both over so he came to sit on top. Leon feared for a moment that he would slip out again – he wasn't that hard again yet, but D seemed to have gotten quite good at sex.

Oh well, that wasn't really such a wonder, was it?

Leon blushed involuntarily as he grabbed D's hips, who was now moving very, very carefully, his muscles still tightly clasped on Leon, preventing him from slipping out. The mismatched eyes glowed under lowered lashes and his hands slowly traced paths over Leon's skin, his chest, the sharp fingernails just so scraping.

And then they suddenly left Leon's body to touch D's body instead.

Leon almost thought he'd choked on his breath. "Say, Leon, have you lately been looking at my… chest?" D purred, making a thrill run down his spine.

"Your… chest?" he choked.

"Mmmm…" D replied and his hands went to the shoulders to straighten the T-shirt out all over his body, tracing it down along his body in the process. And there, right under the u and the ie in Judas Priest…

Leon was pretty, pretty sure he would never be able to wear that T-shirt again. Not in public, at least. He didn't know if that was partly D's intention – he somehow doubted it – but truth be told, if he would've had to choose how D would force him to never wear this shirt again, this was definitely the most fun way.

Dammit, and without any doubt the hottest, too.

D's painted nails repeated the movement, now that he had smoothed the shirt out over the baby belly, this time staying on u and ie. The letters had a definite different look to when there was something under them. They somehow seemed to look much more – graphic.

The kami's head leaned back, his expression something between pleasure and slight pain while a soft, fluttering sigh came from his throat. Leon's mouth began to water. Sensitive. D was touching his boobs and they were…

Oh holy shit!

"Uh-uh, my dear!" D caught his hands at the seam of the shirt and easily held them above his head with one of his, while the other continued to stroke the small breasts. With every movement of the hand, they were highlighted differently and Leon itched to touch them, to…

"Oh, that's what you want, yes?" D murmured, his eyes narrowing as he smirked and raised half to lower himself back down on Leon. Yep. Definitely no danger of a limp cock anymore. "I thought you like the big kind better?"

Leon struggled against D's grip on his hands, desperately arching up to get to the kami's body. But he only laughed, and before Leon could begin to understand what he was doing, he had taken the shirt off and used it to bind Leon's hands together. And to the bed.

Why had he bought a bed with bars, again?

D's eyes had a dreamy expression as his now free hands wandered back to his chest, tracing the outline of the breasts with careful fingertips. "You know, I really am not too happy about them," he said, his voice husky. "And I think I need someone to show me how to have some fun with them…"

The shudder was so hard that Leon thought the whole bed must've shaken with it. Scrabbling for his wits, he tried to remember what he usually did when his bed partner had breasts.

"Well, you can – you can squeeze them," he got out, eyes going wide as D's hands immediately mirrored his words, softly grabbing the small, delicate breasts, massaging them. His eyelids dropped and he half sighed, half breathed out an "oh".

"And, and you can just trace the nipples, with, with one finger…"

The little tips tightened. Oh, shit!

"And, if you're really careful, you can also, you know, squeeze those…"

Oh, dear. Leon hoped D had remembered to put some sound-proof spell on his rooms. His groan sounded pretty indecent. Nothing Grandpa, Chris or Dana should _ever_ get to hear. "Yeah, just like that. But, you know, best is actually if you get them licked…"

"Oh? Like this?" D murmured and bent forward so Leon could just reach, with the tip of his tongue, one small, sensitive nipple. It hardened further when Leon enthusiastically set to work.

Then, to his utter frustration, D pulled back, his face showing disappointment. "Oh, I'm afraid it just isn't… the right thing…" he sighed.

"You fucking tease!" Leon gasped. "Just lemme suck them like a real man and then we'll see if it's not the right thing for you!"

D's smile was devilish, and he waited a moment longer, one tantalising moment in which he squeezed his muscles so hard Leon could actually see some small stars in front of his eyes, but then, finally, he leaned forward and…

Wow. If he'd get such reactions every time…

D's body practically vibrated on top of his while soft cries filled the room. Supporting himself on both arms, he pressed himself down on Leon. The blonde's eyes drifted close as he swirled his tongue over the seemingly over-sensitised nipples, moving between them as D offered them to him. This would be even better for him if…

"D, get that shirt off!" he gasped and D obeyed at once, ripping the shirt off Leon's hands and freeing his lover. It sounded faintly like some seam had given way, but hell if Leon cared. He sat up, wrapping his arms as close as they could go around D and burying his head in the kami's breasts. Bunched up like this, D's own erection was safely tucked in between their bodies – or Leon's body and the baby belly. D was rocking softly, squeezing his muscles again.

Leon suddenly decided that foreplay was alright and fun, but this situation rather required a fuck-your-brains-out approach. Luckily D wasn't like a normal girl – he was actually able to feel Leon inside him. Completely and whole.

And he was very responsive in there.

Leon let go of him in favour of grabbing his hips and turning them over again. D's hands immediately grabbed his ass and pushed him inside as far as he could go while the kami made a choked sound. Leon lifted himself up for a moment to take in the picture – D, eyes closed, skin glistening slightly, the small breasts round and… wow.

"You're beautiful!" Leon breathed and then proceeded to engage in his chosen way of action.

#+#+#+#+#+#+#+#

D's cries still rang in his ears when he rolled around some time later to not put too much weight on both his lover and baby. Grinning stupidly, he wrapped his arms around the kami, nuzzling D's ear.

"That was the best idea you ever had," he mumbled and could feel D laughing breathlessly.

"I thought you would say as much."

They lay for some more moments in happy silence, then Leon nudged his mate again. "So, you're happier now about your breasts?" he asked slyly. D pushed himself up and smirked rather dirtily.

"Perhaps," he purred. "I'm still evaluating if they are worth the bother…"

Leon laughed softly and then his gaze went downwards to where D's cock lay harmless and almost sweet-looking on his belly. He reached out a hand and poked it. D tilted his head to the side, giving him a questioning look. "Why do you never – I mean, you never come with that," the human said, sounding astounded.

D rolled his eyes and got off Leon. "Why should I? I am not 'male' in this relationship."

"You mean – it actually knows if you're male or female?"

D laughed at his baffled expression. "No, 'it' knows that _you_ are male. My body does. Otherwise, my dear…" he purred, narrowing his eyes again, "you can bet that I would have made you take more care of it at certain times…"

"So, does it even respond if, you know, I did something real with it…?"

The kami turned his head half away, peeping at Leon from behind a curtain of dark hair. "And what would that 'real' consist of, my dear Detective?"

Well, this wasn't as bad as he had always imagined it, Leon reflected a moment later when his head was buried in D's lap. And it even tasted like girl.

* * *

As if to defy their enemies, the bulge was growing steadily now. Where a few weeks before there had been D's flat belly, there was now something Leon called a hill – his personal hill, and D was in turns delighted and chagrined to hear him say "my hill", depending on his actual mood swing. But silently he rejoiced that Leon was so proud of him. It was as if suddenly nothing more precious existed in the world the blonde inhabited. Not even Dana was just like it, and it made D feel cherished and safe in spite of everything else.

Then, of course, they finally had to prepare for Christmas, as there was barely a week left until then. The whole triad business had taken so much attention that it was getting quite close now, and D decided that despite the fact that Christmas usually gave good business, he would close the shop. A heated argument with Grandfather later even the old kami agreed that it might be wise if D wasn't seen in public too often, proudly presenting a belly that hadn't been there a mere week ago. Because it really was growing fast. And the child, who had been rather shapeless until now, was also starting to develop a considerable personality. And, much to D's dismay, taking a definite liking to doing somersaults in his belly. Since the skin over the baby was so thin, one could actually monitor the movements in there, something that didn't only fascinate the pets and children, but also Leon and even Grandfather.

Not that the eldest would admit to that. D only caught him staring and quickly glancing away again. It almost seemed as if this caused his mood to drop, since he was as unbearable as he possibly could be, and especially hard on Leon, who lost his nerves more than once and ended up screaming at the old kami.

The good thing was that that made Sofu return to his friendly attitude towards the "well-raised" Chris. The bad thing was that he was now taking very much care not to leave Dee alone with Leon in any room, and since the youngest was so intent on watching everything Leon did, it only helped the quarrels between Sofu and Leon along.

Sometimes, however, he managed to slip out of Sofu's keen sight and ended up in the most unlikely places. Like, for example, Leon's bathroom.

* * *

If D's sexual appetite was any indication of how well the pregnancy was going, Leon mulled as he staggered towards the bathroom, then it was going very well indeed. Very, very well.

He grazed the sleeping kami on his bed with a last affectionate look before he finally entered the bathroom and jumped under the shower, enjoying the hot water all over his body. With a faint groan he started scrubbing sweat and other nice fluids away. Boy, this had been… and D had fallen asleep with the promise that today during Christmas shopping he was going to buy a nice surprise for Leon.

Boy! Leon smiled, eyes closed, as he stretched his head up to catch the full spray of water. He didn't expect that D would actually buy something remotely bra-like – the kami might be coming to terms with his breasts now, but they were not that big, for one, and then Leon couldn't – well, he _could_ imagine D with a bra. But actually the imagination was not as hot as it used to be, seeing how creative the kami had become during the last few days.

Oh, well. Leon was finally coming to the conclusion that he didn't really care that much if D had boobs or not, or was half male or not. He had started to love every place and limb on D's body, no matter what it looked like, no matter what it was. It was like – he didn't know what it actually was like. Perhaps like it should've been from the start. Like he'd dreamed it would be.

But it didn't really matter, now. The only thing that mattered was that he could feel and see and touch D's happiness and knew it was reflected in his own.

There was a small sound from behind him. Someone whispered in front of the bathroom, then the door was opened and several beings hustled in. Leon stopped shaving and stared at the assembly in the mirror. "What the hell?" he said, baffled.

Dee smiled at him and came closer. "Chris told me that you're doing this almost every morning," he replied, looking at Leon with fascination in his violet eyes. "I wanted to see it for myself."

"What the -?" Leon repeated, now turning around and glancing at his younger brother, who was holding a still sleepy Dana on his arms. She yawned and placed her head on her uncle's shoulder, obviously wanting to go back to sleep. "Kids, where is whoever is looking after you at the moment?"

"Grandfather is in the kitchen and sent us out, because we were too loud for his taste. And T-chan is still asleep. Chris kept him up too late last night." Dee giggled quite excitedly when the human boy blushed and elbowed him.

"I didn't! It wasn't my fault that he wanted to watch that movie… oops…"

Leon sighed and laid his shaver aside. "Chris, did you sneak into the TV-room last night to watch that vampire movie? I thought D told you that…"

"Yeah, I know, Norma's not like the vampires in the movies. How am I supposed to deal with her if no one tells me how?" His younger brother sulked and adjusted Dana on his arms. Leon shook his head and lifted her out of them. Seeing Chris with his niece like this was slightly discomforting. He was acting like a father sometimes. Chris was ten. That was too young to even be dreaming of having children. And certainly too young to look like a father with Dana.

"Come on, kids, outta here," he said in that sing-song-voice which somehow set in every time he was slightly pissed by the children. "Go wake D up and let me finish shaving, please."

He set Dana down on the bed beside her still-sleeping father and quickly disappeared back into the bathroom. There was silence outside.

Then the door creaked and two violet eyes peeked back inside. Leon heaved a silent sigh and concentrated on finishing his morning shave, trying not to twitch in the intense gaze from the door.

The sudden yelp from outside that sounded very much like Dana had indeed been following his orders of waking D up made him chuckle and forget about the curious eyes. A few seconds later the bathroom door was flung open and a very angry D stood in the door, the bedclothes wrapped around him.

"You bastard!" he yelled. "I was asleep!"

"Yeah, and you promised to go Christmas shopping with them today," Leon replied, ducked and escaped just in time to not get hit by the brush D was throwing after him.

* * *

**A/N:** Did I make it up to you?


	38. It's The Season

**It's The Season**

D self-consciously tugged at the hem of his tunic while scrutinising himself in the mirror. Someone knocked and then Grandfather entered, looking him over wordlessly.

"Would you maybe like to stuff a cushion under your clothes to make it more visible?" he asked icily. D sighed and turned towards him. "No, Grandfather, I am actually trying to conceal it as much as is possible."

"There is a child in your body. I very much doubt anything you wear will be able to conceal that. You should really not go out."

"I promised the children that I would." D set his chin stubbornly. "And it isn't that big yet. Under my cape, it should be mostly invisible…"

"I know what you can do!" Dee interrupted and came running inside the room, tugging Dana along. "If you bind Jamie in front of your body, everybody will think it's him who's bulging so much!"

"I wanted to leave Jamie here…"

"Norma is going to come and fill me in on the latest movements in the triad later."

"That's a very good idea, Dee," D finished and glared at his grandfather, who looked quite smug. He could just say that he wanted some time alone in the shop.

After some fuss, they found a way that made it indeed look like Jamie was all the bulge under D's cape was made off. And then they set out to do some Christmas shopping. At least, D, Jamie, Dana and Chris did. Dee had to stay in the shop, of course.

After being holed up in the shop for such a long time, D really enjoyed being outside again. It wasn't cold, of course, but it was at least cooler than in summer. He inhaled the air, ignored the city smells and felt a smile spread as he wandered down the sidewalk, Dana between him and Chris.

"Bàbà, do the flying thing with me!" she demanded and they complied, swinging her through the air between them. Several other shoppers watched them with amusement and obvious joy. Finally D stopped in front of a big store, breathing a little faster.

"Now it is enough, Dana," he said, patting the sleeping Jamie's head. "Let us go in here and see if we find some Christmas presents for everyone, okay?"

Oh, the joy children were!

Or not, depending on interpretation. D was again torn between antipathy towards the other human children in the toy section and pride of his own. They of course didn't want to go to the Santa in the middle. In fact Dana even recoiled and immediately went back to the dolls she had spotted.

D smiled as he realised that she was now showing an interest in the baby dolls rather than her usual favourite – plushies. Well, perhaps they could give her a doll for Christmas, so she could have her own baby, too…

Seeing that Chris was showing several toys to Dana and discussing their advantages with his niece, D hummed to himself and Jamie and started to wander through the racks, looking for something else he could give his child. "And you, of course, darling," he said softly to Jamie. The boy had woken and was watching the goings-on around him with interest. Such a quiet child he was most of the time… D wished his second baby to become like this, too. "What could we give to you, love? It's your first birthday, it should be something special… something which won't cost your mother her last nerves, too."

It was warm in here, very warm, and Jamie was wrapped up not only in his clothes, but the cloth and D's cloak. Putting the garment over his arm, he continued to wander around and stopped again in the doll section. Chris and Dana were looking at some Lego Star Wars things and not aware of his presence. Humming, D started to look at the dolls. If he was to buy one for his child, he wanted one that looked somehow special, that wasn't too human or had such an ugly face like those Barbie dolls…

"Doll!" Jamie laughed and grabbed one of the displayed dolls. D laughed, too. "Well, you start early with emancipation, don't you?" he said, amused, but let Jamie keep the doll. It looked nice enough. Maybe he could…

Suddenly the hairs at the back of his neck stood up. D firmly kept his eyes on the dolls while he stretched out his senses, tried to feel who was watching him.

But either the one was already gone again or he was too far off for him to identify him.

Now D cast a glance around. There were a few Chinese parents with their children in the line for Santa, but none of them was looking at him.

Well, what should they see? Quickly he checked, but no, Jamie was still covering his belly. Mostly. Nevertheless…

"Count, can I have an X-Wing fighter for Christmas? Please?" Chris's blue eyes were big as saucers and pleading. D looked at the package he was holding in his hand and inwardly rolled his eyes.

"I want an AT-AT!" Dana declared. D covered his mouth quickly to hide the chuckle. "Dana, that AT-AT would be bigger than you are," he mentioned calmly.

His daughter's eyes began to sparkle. "Then I can ride on it!"

D laughed out at this. "We will see, Dana. We will see," he said, amused. "Now put that X-Wing back on the shelf, Chris, please. I will keep it in mind, and now let us see if we find something for your brother and Jill."

* * *

They returned at the same time as Leon and Jill came from work. Dana let go off their hands and ran to greet her father, squealing when he flung her through the air. "Wow, you bought a lot of things. You want Santa to break his back?" he joked, looking at all the bags D and Chris were carrying. Jill immediately hurried to the kami's side and took them.

"D, truly!" she muttered. "You should be more careful…"

"Oh Jill!" the kami sighed, heart-felt, but he was glad that he didn't have to navigate the bags down the stairs to the shop. "So, did you get tomorrow evening free?"

"Yup, both!" Leon triumphed and placed Dana on his shoulders. "So, what's in all those bags?"

"I know what you're getting for Christmas, Daddy!" Dana pronounced proudly.

"Yeah, do you? Who picked it out?"

"Me and Chris!"

"Chris and me, darling."

"D, she's three and a half years old…"

"One can never start too early practising manners."

"Jamie, where did you get this doll from?"

The parlour turned into some kind of chaos area when they all came inside, and Norma and Sofu, who'd sat in there chatting quietly with each other, quickly fled to the more quiet zones of Sofu's rooms. D sent Chris to his room with one of the bags, got another out of Dana's curious fingers, asked Tetsu to hide it somewhere she wouldn't catch sight of (which probably wouldn't be too easy, given that Dana immediately followed at his heels) and finally found the time to take Jamie off.

"Mama!" he laughed.

"Hi, sunny," Jill smiled and kissed his smooth cheek. "You had a good day, I can just see it on the tip of your nose. Got to cuddle with D, didn't you, sunny?"

"Why're calling him sunny lately?" Leon asked, nosing around in the remaining bags. "D, you really wanna give Dana a doll for Christmas?"

"You would rather have her playing with a newborn?" D countered and sat down with a deep sigh. "Oh, my back!"

The blonde left off the bags to come and rub his hand down D's back, who leaned against it with a purr. Jill sat down, too, grinning. "Oh, you two lovebirds. Makes me envious just to look at you. By the way, I'm calling him sunny because he has become such a happy baby in the past months – I mean, just look at him! He's beaming the whole time."

Jamie was indeed, although that could have been due to the doll he was just waving around. "And where did he get this one from, anyway? I hope he didn't steal it anywhere… two weeks ago I went shopping with him and when I got out of the store I suddenly discovered he'd somehow smuggled a pair of socks out of there!"

They all laughed when Jamie happily contributed "Sock!" to the conversation.

"No, I actually bought that one for him. For his birthday, originally, but I doubt you will be able to make him let go of it again," D said, amused, while Jill cuddled her baby, murmuring "You are a little thief, aren't you? And that with police parents, you little rascal!"

"So, are we gonna wrap up those presents or what are we waiting for?" Leon asked, again busy with the bags.

"Can't you ever have some more patience?" D lamented, but got up nevertheless. "No, Leon, not this one, that's for Jill…"

"Oh?"

The young kami laughed as he shushed both humans away from the bags. "I suggest we all go to your room, Leon, and wrap the presents there. And I will take away what isn't meant for your eyes in the meantime."

Jamie was happily crawling around on the wrapping paper when he came inside after having hidden Jill's presents in his room, too. Leon and Jill watched him, laughing at his babbling and his obvious passion for the doll.

"Definitely not gay," Leon judged, poking Jamie's foot. The boy sat down and blinked at his foot in astonishment. "Far too interested in females already." He grinned up at his mate. "Including D's boobs."

"You deserved that," Jill said unsympathetically when D hit Leon. "Anyway, D, how's it going with them? Still problems?"

"No, thank you, not anymore," D said over Leon's snort. "The salve you gave me worked wonders."

"Nothing better for sore breasts," she said, satisfied, and then rolled her eyes in exasperation as Leon slipped to the floor, laughing helplessly. "Oh, really, D! You know, as much as I like you, sometimes I think it would have been better if you wouldn't grow them at the moment. I mean, Leon's been an animal about sex before, but now! It's almost impossible to say anything without him twisting it around in some way. I swear, he was surfing lingerie pages today again while he should've been working."

"Lie!" the blonde protested while D handed Jill scissors and ribbons, smiling to himself. "I told you, Jill, D won't wear bras…"

"Who says I won't?" Leon's jaw dropped, making the other two laugh out loud. "I just think that considering their size, I do not need to wear one…"

"You shouldn't, D. They're totally uncomfortable," the woman agreed. "The time it takes to find a comfortable bra – really, in the same time I've arrested three criminals."

"But they look hot!" Leon protested, having recovered from his shock. "And I know you have some quite hot-looking ones…"

"I just happen to wonder how come you know which kind of underwear Jill wears…"

"Ah, never mind, D, it's just because Leon's been poking his nose into my locker at every given chance, trying to find some porn in there. Which he, of course, never did."

Now D gaped and Leon and Jill chuckled helplessly. "Oh, not like that, D. It's just because when you and he started to get friendly, I happened to mention that I really thought you two'd make quite the hot pair… of course, that was before he knew you're half female."

"Oh. I see." The kami smirked and sent Leon a knowing glance from beneath lowered lashes. "I guess he wasn't too – happy about that idea?"

"At the time? He nearly killed me!" Jill laughed while she wrapped the X-Wing fighter for Chris. "And proceeded to nose around in my locker to see if I really had gay porn in there like Liza told him when he finally gathered enough courage to ask if girls dig that stuff."

"Jill!" Leon buried his flaming face in his hands. "Do you have to remind me of my youthful sins all the time?"

"And, do they?" D inquired, wrapping the silken blouse he intended to give Dee. Jill smirked and licked her lips. "Well, if you and Leon were to give me some photos of you two, I wouldn't say no…"

"Jill!"

"Don't forget to breathe, even when your brain's exploding right now," she said good-humouredly and poked her friend. "And make yourself useful once in a while. Here, wrap that T-shirt for Chris."

D had watched the two friends, laughing softly. Now he placed a few presents beside Leon so the human could wrap them. "Oh, and please remember that Mary, Samantha and Josie are coming on the 26th. We should wrap their presents, too, while we are at it," he said.

Leon let go of his face and looked at kami and woman with a sly look in his eyes. "You know what would be a real great present for me? Some pictures of you two making out…"

"Oh, you bastard!" Jill nearly doubled over with laughter and James stopped in trying to stuff the doll's hands into his mouth to look at his mother in astonishment. "Adults are strange!" seemed to be written all over his face. Leon grinned and placed his hands over the boy's ears.

"Ey, really, watch what you're saying in the presence of a child, you know!" he reprimanded. "Besides, it's not as if you and D didn't already have some practise…"

On occasions like this D was really glad that he'd put a silencing spell on Leon's rooms. Some things Grandfather really shouldn't hear. Including him laughing at such stupid human jokes.

* * *

The Christmas days went by in a blur of wrapping paper and laughter. Norma and Ten-chan returned for a Christmas dinner, after which Jill and the fox ended up on the sofa in the front room, drinking hot cocoa and talking for nearly four hours, making Leon uncomfortable and D happy.

Then Mary, Sam and Josie came to visit, bringing some more presents, which were gladly welcomed by both Chris and Dana. Mary was visibly strained; her divorce from Arthur wasn't going very well, but D managed to cheer her up and make her forget about it for at least some time. Leon caught his aunt staring at Chris a few times, longing in her eyes, and with a bad conscience he realised that they had never asked Mary for how long Chris was going to stay at the shop exactly. They were anyway in a difficult situation with Chris, although at the moment Mary still had custody for him. Josie was an adult, but Arthur seemed determined not to let Mary have the other children. The fight over who was going to get custody for Sam and Chris in the end was visibly getting at her.

Leon did his best to cheer his aunt up, and he also mentioned, somewhere along the lines, that Chris might be returning to New York sometime soon… whenever Mary wished him to…

He was pretty sure his brother had no intention of returning to his mother and sisters, and surely none of returning to his ex-father. But Mary looked like she needed the reassurance that Chris still was her son, so he gave it to her. Besides, he had the distinct feeling that Chris's stay in the pet shop was indeed nearing its end again. It made Leon sad, but on the other hand that would mean that at least Chris wouldn't get drawn into any fights between the triad and D. And that was more important than having the little brat here all the time.

He couldn't remember ever living through a Christmas so consciously, trying to live each moment to its fullest, trying to snatch every last second and remember it. The way the children laughed and chased each other around, the way D smiled at him when he unwrapped the picture he'd taken unnoticed by the kami while he was reading a story to the kids, the way D's "special present" for Leon (no, it wasn't a bra. It was something much better) looked on the kami the night of Christmas. The way D's eyes lighted up like a lighthouse when Leon slipped his "normal" Christmas present, a small silver ring, over his finger and afterwards took D's hand, the one with the matching ring. How Jamie "blew" his birthday candle out (it was actually Ten-chan, who was standing right behind Jill while she was holding Jamie). Sandy's surprise visit on the 28th and the way D beamed on that day. Every tiny little detail.

Then Christmas was suddenly over, and it was New Year's Eve.

* * *

He liked watching D in the shop; well, as long as there were no customers involved. As long as it was just the kami, tending to this incense pot, arranging those teacups, draping that curtain – as long as it was such stuff, Leon loved to sit and watch D's graceful figure float through the shop. And today there even was a gimmick.

With quiet amusement Leon watched Jamie crawling to D, busy refilling an incense pot. But before the boy had reached him, the kami went to the children's cradle. The child stopped mid-crawl, baffled, then he changed his course to where D was standing now.

But he, having arranged the cushions in the cradle to his satisfaction, turned and returned a cup he'd found on the cabinet to the tea-cart. Again James hesitated and corrected his course, eagerly crawling to D.

Leon watched this three more times before he finally couldn't hold back any longer and started to laugh. D looked up in surprise, blinking at him. "Did I do anything specific to cause your amusement, or is it just the usual I-can't-believe-he's-making-such-a-fuss laugh?" he inquired good-naturedly. Leon shook his head, still chuckling.

"Well, no, it's just that Jamie's trying to crawl to you since ten minutes and every time he's almost there, you step away," he explained. D looked to the floor where the boy was still continuing his way to him, undisturbed and determined, making little excited sounds.

"Oh poor dear," he cooed softly and knelt down. "I am so sorry, Jamie, I overlooked you." Jamie gave a happy squeal, crawled as fast as he could and finally reached his goal. Beaming and gurgling, he pushed himself up so he was face-to-face with D. The kami smiled and touched their noses together. "Very well done, James. You're a brave boy."

Leon inched closer without really knowing where he wanted to end up, but finally he settled for sitting down behind D and embracing him. He gave a start, but then relaxed. Leon's hands came to rest on his belly. "What is it?" he asked, turning his head half and smiling while at the same time steadying Jamie. Leon breathed in deeply, catching D's scent. It had become mellow since the pregnancy. Not that he disliked that, it was just – different. He'd never smelled D like that.

"Nothing. Just thought you're cute with him. And wondering what you'll be like with our baby." His hands tightened on D's belly, who laughed.

"Well, probably the same once it has reached Jamie's momentary age. Why should I be any different with our child?"

"Dunno." Leon shrugged. "Was just wondering. Q-chan's not exactly what one'd call a loving parent."

"True," D agreed. "But I've already proven more than once that I do certain things differently."

"Actually, I wasn't going at that." Leon's hug became more protective. "I was more wondering how you could turn out so soft and sweet with your own kid if all you ever got was don't-do-this and don't-like-them."

The kami didn't answer right away; he talked to Jamie for a while and let Leon caress the bulge.

"I never doubted that he loves me," he said then. "I felt through the bond that he does. It was only when I started watching the pets more closely that I realised Grandfather rarely touched me. When I asked him, he told me such was for little children or lovers, and that we were neither. That our bond was what mattered, while the pets didn't have such a strong connection and thus had to rely on other ways of showing their affection. Before I met Chris, I believed the need to be near someone to be yet another of human weaknesses, making up for the missing bond. Then I learned that it can just be as comforting to touch someone you like. However, I never applied that to us," he added quietly. "For some reason, like Ten-chan already pointed out, I was caught in the belief that I cannot feel love for a mate without the bond."

"Everything about you is so different," Leon murmured, reaching around to tip Jamie's nose. The boy blinked at his finger with wonder. "I can't even imagine what it feels like. Sure, I have Kanan, but she – sits in my head, if you get what I mean. I always know whether she's there or not. But for you, it's more of an unconscious thing, ain't it?"

D nodded.

"And what will they be like? The kids, I mean? God, I hope they won't have some trauma due to this; you know, being half kami and half human. And not knowing what they really are and where they belong."

Jamie yawned and blinked tiredly. D smiled and embraced him, feeling the small head coming to rest on his shoulder. "Tell me, Leon, are you looking forward to this child?"

The human chuckled. "Course. You know that I am. Why else would I have asked for your child if I didn't want it?"

D smiled again. "Then I doubt our children will ever not know where they belong."

"Because we give them all the love they need or what?" Leon sat back on his heels and watched D laying Jamie to sleep. The kami hummed a tune. It sounded strange, but pretty.

"I don't think that loving them will be enough. Everyone feels like being in the wrong movie at some time or another in his life. They won't be any different, and 'specially Dana…"

D pulled the curtain before the cradle so that Jamie could sleep undisturbed. "Dana, despite what it looks like, was never not wanted," he said calmly. "She was unplanned, inconvenient, even painful for me, but she never was unwanted. Unwanted was everything her birth entailed. Unwanted was you finding out about her, you demanding to be her father; but not Dana herself."

"You can't tell me you had a happy pregnancy," Leon protested. "You said yourself it was difficult for you."

Finally he sat down again, weighing the words in his mind. "Yes and no. It was difficult, without any doubt. The bodily problems, the biological strain of going through a pregnancy without my mate present, that was at times almost more than I could bear. But Leon, if I hadn't wanted your child, I wouldn't have fallen pregnant in the first place. If I hadn't wanted your child in some unconscious part of myself, my body would never have overruled my mind enough to prompt this night."

Leon gazed at him and D knew that although he tried to understand, he wasn't able to.

"It will be a wonder if we work now, won't it?"

The statement came not unexpected; D had known that Leon's thoughts would inevitably take this turn. Especially today, on New Year's Eve. "I do not know," he replied softly. "At the very least, we are perfect proof that the right chemistry is no guarantee for a working relationship."

Leon honoured that with a smile. "We're good at running from things we don't wanna see, aren't we? Looking at all those problems we could've avoided by just stopping for a second and thinking about what we're going to do…"

D raised an eyebrow. "I cannot speak for you, but I can assure you that whatever I did, I usually had thought it through."

That made the human chuckle. "Sure. Keeping Dana a secret from me, not to mention all the other things about you and the shop, was definitely considering all options."

"It was, at the time. That I reached the wrong conclusions wasn't the result of hasty action."

Leon sighed softly and got up. "Yeah, perhaps. Still, my experience tells that most people keep running from making decisions till they don't have time to properly think them through and just have to act. And 90% of the time, they do the wrong thing."

"Everyone wants a happy relationship," D replied slowly to the unspoken question. "One that doesn't cause yet more problems, but helps to live through daily life. Everyone wants someone to come home to who understands and takes you as you are. But most people forget that acceptance is a two-way-street. If you want to have a happy relationship, you have to sacrifice some of your own precious time, your power, to work on it. And that is what most people aren't willing to do. When it becomes difficult, they move on, looking for a new relationship that will offer the kind of happiness the old one didn't, without realising that happiness takes work and that the work itself might be painful at times."

The blonde nodded gravely. "Wise words, D. You truly live up to what you are." It was a tease on the outside, but D could see beneath to where the words had torn yet another wound open again.

"Nobody is immune to mistakes," he said and smiled. "No human and no god. We only usually have ways open to us to redeem our mistakes that you humans don't."

"Couldn't you have chosen one to take care of our mess?"

Leon looked at him, his eyes compelling D to be honest. "No," he admitted, feeling his heart sink a little. "I never even considered using those for our dilemma. It would have been – you have a saying: you've made your bed, now you must lie in it."

The blonde smiled half and they fell silent, now that they had talked about it again and run out of words to say. Leon looked at their hands, intertwined in D's lap by now. It had just happened, while they were talking. But it wasn't always as easy. They just couldn't always accommodate each other's needs and demands so easily, because D was so complicated, because Leon was so simple, because they were just so different…

"We will always be in for disappointment, more than any other couple on this earth. It is in the nature of our relationship." D's voice was quiet, and he was staring at their hands concentratively, too. "You knew that. Do you regret your decision now?"

Leon swallowed the lump in his throat. "Not yet," he murmured. "Only – well, once a day perhaps, or twice…"

The young kami looked up at him again and smiled as he stood, thus withdrawing his hands from Leon's. "Good," he said softly. The blonde looked up at him, a question written all over his face. D cupped his cheek in his hand, which still showed the slight scar of their quarrel a few days ago. The same hand that had caused the injury now softly traced the outline and Leon flinched a little. "It will teach us both not to take for granted what we have achieved," he said, letting go of Leon and vanishing into the kitchen, leaving him alone in the parlour to think about his words.

After a few moments the blonde stood, went after D and wrapped his arms around bulge and kami alike. "I love you, D," he whispered into one impossibly elegant ear. D's head turned half; he smiled, and very, very carefully kissed Leon.

"Would it really be easier for you if I were a kami, too?" the human asked after another long silence. "Q-chan said – he said you should have died during Dana."

"I guess it would," D replied, sighing. "Not that that option is open to me, so there is no point in even thinking about it, is there?"

"So why were you able to survive the first pregnancy without me?" Leon asked, his brow puckering at the remembrance. How he hated the old bat for that!

D took some vegetables from the fridge and started cutting them up, all without Leon letting go of him. "Grandfather explained to me that I did because I live in a shop that sells love, hope and dreams. For reasons I do not wholly understand, the shop served as a substitute partner, but only in the spiritual sense, so the bodily problems were worse than they would have been had you been there. According to him, I should either have died or lost Dana long before I found out about her."

"He's such a bitch," Leon gritted through his teeth. "Pretending he's so worried for you, but all he really cares about -"

"Leon." D stopped cutting up a tomato and laid a soothing hand on his. "I know you cannot understand this, but I know that Grandfather was worried for me. That he was more worried about my sanity than my life was due to the fact that I stayed alive for long enough to realise I was pregnant. It was the best proof he could get that at least my body was strong enough to go through with this pregnancy." His eyes darkened. "My mind, however, is a different question…"

"But if your spiritual mate is dead -" Leon almost jumped as the horrible thought hit. D firmly held him in place.

"You still haven't gotten the difference between spiritual and bodily mate, have you?" he asked, his lips quirking. "Leon, I assure you, I am alright. I may be depressed sometimes, or have mood swings, but I am fine. That you are here helps a lot with all of the other problems, but spiritually I won't have any other difficulties than those that usually go with a pregnancy, human and kami alike. The bond is cut. If there is no bond, my mind will not try to reflect anything on my mate."

The human let himself be soothed, knowing that he had to trust D there; he would never be able to truly understand. Then he stiffened again. "Hey, how comes that you could be born?" he wanted to know, curious. "I mean, if your dad wasn't in the shop?"

"Are you sure you want to hear more details about my species?" D's expression could only be described as laughing inside. Leon looked at him – and then shook his head. "No. Don't think I need to know that, do I?"

The young kami turned back to his vegetables, humming to himself. Leon thought he could make out the words he was humming. "And I'm so glad you're not eating meat anymore, at least for a while…"

He just had to squeeze D for that. A little too hard, maybe, but this here was, after all, his unbreakable kami. "I love you, D," he whispered again. "And I hope we'll have a good new year. And a good new baby, and everything."

D leaned back against him. "I hope so, too," he smiled.

* * *

**A/N: **No, I've not forgotten about this story here... I'm just in such a hurry all the time I couldn't make it -.- Sorry and thanks for the reviews!


	39. Getting Tight

**Getting Tight**

But despite their wishes, the new year didn't start too good, at least for D. When Leon woke at eight o'clock, the kami was sweating beside him, thrashing in his sleep, and his body was convulsing. The hastily called Sofu diagnosed early labour pains and immediately brewed some tea to make them cease. It worked, but D was worried, Leon was worried even more and the eldest ruled that the children should stay out of the room until he had found out if the contractions really were too early or not. One could never know, not with this child, and the belly was admittedly big – not as big as Dana's before the birth, but big enough in Leon's opinion.

Sofu didn't share that one (neither any other of Leon's opinions, but that was beside the point – although that didn't stop them from arguing yet again about them). He went out and got some Chinese medicine for D, then ruled that he had to stay in bed for at least two days. D succumbed to it with gritted teeth and a sullen expression in his eyes. To take his mind off it, Jill dropped by with some books so they could finally start choosing a name. According to her, they were anyway totally late for that, given that the baby seemed to want to be born any moment.

So Leon and D ended up having a fight over possible baby names. At least, possible girl names, since D insisted that the baby was going to be a boy. He grudgingly had to admit that he still wasn't too sure about that, but from what he felt and from a few remarks Shuko had made on New Year's Eve, he discerned that he was going to get his way.

Leon was literally tearing his hair out when he left the shop with Jill to go to work. "He's driving me insane!" he raged. "Boy! Why does he want a boy so much?"

"Yeah, I don't understand that either," Jill remarked dryly, glancing at her best friend. "Really, another one of you running around in that shop, that sounds more like a nightmare to me."

"Fff." Leon let the air stream out and cooled down slowly. Then he suddenly stiffened. "Hey, did you see that?"

"What?" Jill tried to pierce the crowd on the streets, but apparently she didn't see anything suspicious. Leon shook his head, wondering if he was having hallucinations.

"I could have sworn I saw Carter over there…" he voiced and looked harder. But either the man was gone or he had indeed seen wrong. There was no trace of any man looking like Carter at the corner.

Jill gnawed on her lip as she, too, sent glances around. "Well, might have been him, for all we know about him," she muttered. "Listen, I'm gonna ask the Chief later where they sent Carter. Maybe we can get in touch with someone at his new workplace."

* * *

"I am going to fetch a few things for the birth, and I expect you to help my grandson." Sofu glared at Leon while he put on his cloak and got ready to hunt down whatever he needed in Chinatown. The blonde glared right back from the sofa where he was sitting with Dana on his lap, fast asleep.

"Don't'cha think you should perhaps dress in something less eye-catching? Want whole Chinatown to know that you're here?"

"Do not be silly, human," the eldest snapped as he opened the door. "Human eyes are very easily deceived, and my grandson looks exactly like me. All they are going to think is that he is a little less friendly today."

"A little less friendly?" Leon snorted, but the other had already left so he couldn't hear the scorn in his voice anymore. "A little more of a freakin' bitch, that's what you wanted to say. Asshole," he added under his breath, trying to speak quietly enough so that Dana wouldn't hear him, even if she was asleep.

The thunderous crash from the back didn't only wake Dana up, though. Leon had only risen half, his suddenly awake and crying child on his arm, when a voice shouted in the back, recognisably D's. In Chinese.

Only seconds later the kami swept into the parlour, dragging both Chris and Dee with him, holding both at the scruffs of their necks.

"D, you should be in…"

The young kami hissed something, shaking Dee a little. Chris pried himself loose and ran over to his brother, hiding behind him. "What did you do, squirt? You know that D's -"

"I didn't do anything, it was Dee!" Chris defended himself. The kami child was standing before his father now, his brow wrinkled with a sullen and teary expression. With a flood of Chinese words he tried to defend himself, but D was obviously quite enraged. Even Dana calmed down, stunned by her father's fury.

"D? Hello, D?"

"Not enough that I have to stay in bed when it is absolutely unnecessary, no, now you have to start making problems, too! Can't I at least get some break from you all?"

D glared at them all in turn. Leon heaved a silent sigh. Sounded like D needed a time-out. His nerves weren't the best, neither his mood. And now that Christmas and New Year's were over, he again showed signs of being tired of being confined to the shop.

Well, only one thing to do. "Calm down, D," Leon said, hoisting Dana up on his hip. "Chris, pack your stuff, we're going to the beach."

The younger stared at his brother in wonder. "To the beach? But we could -" he said and was interrupted by D, who was still glaring, but now more out of annoyance than actual anger.

"Take them wherever you want, but take them out of my hair!" he snapped, turning back to his room. Leon looked him carefully over and set Dana down. "Yeah, right. Chris, do what I say and pack up your stuff. I'm gonna get the car."

"I want to go to!" Dee suddenly broke in, his expression furious. "Everybody always gets to go out, just not I! It's not fair!"

"As if I would get to go out either at the moment!" D's face strained with the forceful attempt to hold the tears back. Yup, he definitely needed a break. From everyone.

Tetsu caught his gaze as Leon went out the door to fetch the car and gently took D's hand to tug the kami away. "Come on, Count, let's make some food for them," he suggested, smiling. "And afterwards, when they're gone, whaddya think about a nice tour through the shop? Just you and us?"

D's face relaxed slightly again, even took on a hopeful expression. Pon-chan hopped down from her seat and grabbed Chris's hand. "And we'll go pack your stuff," she said decidedly. "Come on, Dana!"

Dee stayed in the parlour, his face at first sullen. Then it changed expression, became frustrated and sad. "Why do they always get to have all the fun?" he asked no one in particular, his voice throbbing with self-pity. "I never get to go out, I just always get to hear Grandfather's lecture and… oh, it's so unfair!"

The tears finally broke through his anger and he threw himself onto the sofa, sobbing his anger into the cushions. D in the door to the kitchen sighed quietly and went over on silent feet to place a soothing hand on the youngest' shoulders. "Dee," he said softly, tracing a hand through soft black hair. "Dee, please. You have to understand that Grandfather is only worried about you. As am I."

"He only forbids me everything!" his son sniffed, not turning around. "He doesn't want me to be near Leon, he even tries to keep me away from Chris. But I like Chris, Father! I like him! I just want to be like him."

"You are not human, Dee. You can never be like Chris." D's hands petted and soothed until the youngest turned around and buried his head in his shoulder. D tugged him fully into his lap. Well, as far as that was possible with the baby belly. But Dee didn't seem to mind. It was far more important for him that he could finally get rid of all his anger towards Grandfather and his attitude.

"They're not bad, Father! I know they're not!"

"I know that, too, Dee, but they are still humans."

"You love them. Why am I not allowed to like them?"

D sighed deeply. "It is not as if I am allowed to like them, Dee," he pointed out softly. "I just do, and you know what Grandfather thinks about that." But he knew what Dee was talking about, and he thought he finally understood his father. His father and why Grandfather had refused to let him raise D. "We are so very much alike," he whispered into Dee's hair and softly kissed the child's forehead. "Dee, you have to understand that being different will always result in problems. It will always entail that you will be hurt, physical and psychical. Grandfather and I just want to protect you from that."

"I don't care about that." A sob heaved up Dee's chest. "I want to have a friend. I want to have Chris as a friend, and Leon. Why am I not allowed to have friends?"

"You are." D's lips touched his forehead once more. He could hear the car stopping in front of the pet shop and gently wiped off the tears, smiling at his son. "Grandfather will be gone for a few hours," he whispered, winking at Dee. "If you promise not to tell him if he doesn't ask, you could maybe come with me, to some special rooms of the shop…"

"D? I called Jill, and she'll be at the beach with Jamie, too!" Leon's voice sounded down the stairs. "Are the kids ready?"

"I'm ready, Daddy!" Dana yelled and came running from the back, dragging a little basket with her. "I'm ready!" She stormed up the stairs and was caught halfway by Leon, who swung her up on his shoulders. "Uff, honey, you're getting too big to sit there, really," he said and clambered down the rest of the stairs.

Dee turned pleading eyes up at his father. "Father, can't I go to the beach with Leon?" he asked, his voice and face telling that he didn't really expect D to give in, didn't really expect to have his hopes fulfilled…

Chris stopped and looked at D, too, as well as Leon, Pon-chan and Tetsu. D searched for words, wanted to say something, anything…

"If he promises to behave, he can come along. If he wants so much to." Leon's voice wasn't too steady, but it didn't exactly quiver either. D's eyes snapped up at him and the human shrugged. "C'mon, you know now what it's like to be locked up in this shop. One afternoon at the beach won't hurt him, and Q-chan's gone anyway, isn't he?"

"It will not take him that long to return…"

"D." The human sighed impatiently. "Then you can tell him that I took Dee along off my own accord and he'll be angry at me and nothing's lost, okay? I mean, he's pissed because of me anyway all the time."

Nothing came forward from the kami, so Leon just turned with Dana on his shoulders and stepped back up the stairs. "Come on, Chris. D, make up your mind fast, 'cause we'll leave in a few minutes."

Dee jumped up from the sofa and followed the humans, so D was more or less left without a choice. Stepping up the stairs, he sighed at the sight of the car. Of course it was again littered with tons of Leon's stuff. Why couldn't the human keep at least _some_ order in there?

D stared at the car with disgust. "Leon, I am not sure I really want you to -"

"Do you want to have a break or not?" Leon interrupted, setting Dana to the floor. "'Cause honestly, D, I don't care. I'll go back to the shop with them and take them to Philippe's beach, but it was you who said -"

"There isn't enough room for all three of them in there," the young kami objected, a frown on his face. Leon sighed in exasperation. "Dee can sit in the front, he's big enough. Yes, he is," he said over D's protests as he opened the door to Dana's children's seat. The girl obligingly crawled into it herself and let her father fasten the belt. "Chris, c'mon, get in. In the back."

The human boy cast a last glance at D, who still seemed unable to decide what to do. Leon stretched again and closed Dana's door after making sure that Chris, too, was fastened. "So what's it gonna be? I'll take those two anyway. And decide soon, please, 'cause Jill's not gonna wait for us forever."

With a deep sigh D pushed his son forward. "Fasten your seatbelt and do what Leon tells you," he ordered when Dee crawled inside, his eyes shining with joy. "If I hear that you did not adhere what he said, I will never again allow you to go with them."

"Yes, Father!" Dee's voice was almost a squeal, he was so excited. Despite himself, D felt his face crack into a smile. "Take good care, then," he sighed as Leon winked at him while he got in. The engine started and the car rolled off, leaving D to wander back into the shop.

"You look quite strange, you know that?" Tetsu remarked upon his entrance, looking at his master carefully. D shook his head, a little baffled by what he'd just discovered. "I am not used to going anywhere without a child by my side anymore," he said and sat down in his chair, eyes wide.

The totetsu leaned back and laughed for a few minutes, then he hopped from the sofa to go to his master, snuggling his head into his lap. "Well, Count, but wasn't that what you wanted? One child-free afternoon?" he asked, eyes glittering.

D laughed, shaking the thoughts off. "Yes, that was what I wanted and I intend to make full use of my free time. Now what are we going to do first?"

There was a sudden, silent burst of joy throughout the shop. D listened to it, head tilted to the side, let it echo in his heart. "Oh yes, I think I know. Let's go, Tetsu; we won't have all day to enjoy ourselves."

* * *

"It's actually kind of nice to have you to myself again," Jill smiled and sat down beside her friend, letting Jamie down so that the boy could waddle around them.

Leon stretched out on the blanket and smiled back at her. "Did I neglect you so much during the last weeks?" he teased, making her smile again.

"No, of course not. Well, not really, anyway. But you were so busy with D and the kids and all…"

"Mmm." At the mention of the children, Leon sent a glance towards where Dee and Chris were playing with Dana at the rim of the water. He would have to keep an eye on them; the two elder boys didn't always remember that Dana was still kind of a baby when they planned their mischief.

Jill followed his gaze and locked hers on Dee. "Is it better with him now?"

"I don't know," Leon confessed after a moment of silence. "I mean, I guess I got used to him following me everywhere and all… especially since Q-chan's been keeping a rather tight leash on him since Christmas and kept him busy somewhere in the shop, so he wasn't around that much. But still…"

"I still can't imagine what it's like to have D's grandfather in there," she said, shaking her head. "I mean, I'm at the shop so often and I barely get to see him."

"He keeps away from us as far as is possible," the blonde agreed. "And even more from anyone else who's not a member of the immediate family. I think that if there was the slightest chance, he'd expel me from that shop and only keep D and Dana there, and maybe Chris." He chuckled. "He pretends not to, but really, he does like Chris. Kind of. What you call 'like' when you're talking about Q-chan."

"A universe in itself," Jill said thoughtfully, straightening out Jamie's shirt.

"What, the pet shop?"

"Yeah. And now it's a universe closed to everyone but a few chosen. At least it seems like that," she added, seeing Leon's look. "I mean, what with the shop being closed for customers and all… and that for weeks. The only other humans who've stepped into that shop are the Jonas's, aren't they?"

"Yeah." Leon rolled onto his stomach and propped his head up on his hands to watch the children. "It's become pretty small in there, that's true. No wonder D's so pissed. We're getting on each other's nerves, we really are. And since he's now also constrained to his bed a lot of the time…"

"Any news from the triad?"

He shook his head. "Not so far."

Then he favoured her with a curious glance. Jill blushed. "What?" she said defensively.

"Might not have anything to do with a certain fox called Ten-chan that you're asking?"

She blushed even more and moved uncomfortably. "Jamie keeps saying his name," she mumbled. "Ten, Ten. All the time, and he keeps looking around for him when I bring him to the shop."

"Yeah, those two like each other," her best friend said dryly. "But I'm not asking about Jamie, I know damn well that he likes Ten-chan. I'm asking about you."

She avoided his eyes. "He's not human. I mean, I never really noticed before that evening, but…"

"D's not human either. And as far as I remember, you had no objections about making out with him, even if it was just for fun."

The grey eyes snapped back to him. "Are you trying to hook me up with a nine-tailed fox?" Jill snapped, sounding everything but happy. "Because you know, I looked up what Patrick Jonas said."

"And does the description fit Ten-chan?" Leon countered. She looked away again.

"Well, partly, I guess…" she said, hesitantly. "Anyway, no way. I mean, just look at him! I'd probably be arrested for child molesting if I really…"

She cut herself off with a cough, her cheeks blushing furiously. Leon had to fight hard to keep the grin from spreading all over his face. "Yeah. Ten-chan's far older than you are, Jill, you are aware of that, aren't you?"

"Still," she snapped. "And he's – you have D."

"What exactly are you trying to say with that? That it's different because D's only 20 years older than me? It's still not like he was even remotely human. Or like any of the things in the shop, with the exception of Chris, were human. Or were made for human eyes or minds."

Jill didn't answer, instead reached for Jamie and cradled her boy close to her chest. "It's probably easier for you," she said hesitantly. "Being his lover and all…"

Leon snorted. "Are you joking? Norma completely freaks me out, not to mention of some of the other pets in there. D doesn't say it, but I know that if it wasn't for his protection, they'd think I'm a nice snack in between the meals. Probably they think I am, but would never do it because of D."

He threaded a hand through his hair and sighed. "The shop's bad enough as it is, but Norma tops the whole affair. I made D swear he's not letting Dana and Chris out of his sight as long as she's there."

For some reason that calmed Jill visibly down. "How can you live with that?" she asked curiously. "I mean, knowing what D does…"

Her friend gazed into space. "I don't know," he confessed. "Most time I just remind myself that he's stopped killing them for the moment… and that I've killed others as well…"

"But you don't really like it, do you?"

He sighed, heart-felt. "No. There's nothing likeable about that side of D, at least not for me. You know, I think the thing I'm gladdest for with this pregnancy is that he just doesn't have the chance to be truly himself at the moment. I don't want to think about that, if I'm to be honest. I don't want to think about what comes after the baby's birth."

"You think he'll go back to selling pets?"

His blue eyes were both amused and weary as he glanced at her now. "I think? No, Jill, I know. Because he's D, and he needs to do what he does. Just as I need to do what I do. Or you. I don't want to change him, but I can't really accept it either."

"Quite the moral dilemma, isn't it?" She smiled a little bit at his look. "Yeah, I know. Not helping."

"So this is your problem with Ten-chan, yes? If that's all…"

"No, it's not all," she interrupted him, biting her lip. "Leon, I'm… oh, I just don't know. I don't know what to feel about him. What to think about him. I miss him, you know? That's never happened to me before. That I'm actually missing someone I barely only saw when I dropped my child or fetched him. But he always made me laugh, no matter how shitty my day had been or promised to be, and he always had something to say that cheered me up. Even if not all of it was honest. But is that enough for a relationship? Is that what I expect of the… whatever-he-is who is going to be Jamie's father?"

She looked at her boy, who looked back at her, quiet and alert, and kissed him. "My baby needs a father, Leon. He doesn't need a clown, he needs a responsible father, someone who's able to look after him, someone who can teach him how to be a good guy. Will someone who's not even human be able to teach him that?"

She looked back at her best friend, who was regarding her with feeling. "And before I don't know if Ten can do that, I can't decide. Before I know that, I can't promise anything to anyone. I hate hanging in the air so much about this. I don't even have the chance to get to know him better, because now he's spying on the triad, and wouldn't that just be a little bit suspicious if I turned up at the Shaos and asked them if I could have a date with one of their new employees?"

Leon laid a hand over hers and squeezed it gently. She smiled at him thankfully, the somewhat desperate expression in her eyes vanishing again. "Sometimes you just have to do things, Jill," he said, not letting go of her hand. "You just can't know before if it's gonna work out or not."

Now she smiled mischievously. "Oh yeah? Well, that's great advice, coming from you, Orcot…"

He laughed and stood up, offering his hand to her. "Come on, then let's put that decision off for some time. You wanna play with me?"

Jill laughed as he dragged her up and down towards the water, splashing it at her in much the same way Chris was doing with Dee now. The children stopped in surprise and looked at the two adults, rampaging around like children. Dee pushed his wet hair out of his face and shook his head. "And Grandfather says I am childish!"

* * *

D was still lying in bed when Leon got up, and he turned around, muttering under his breath at the interruption of his sleep, then shuddering at the cool air that crept between the sheets when Leon rose. The human tried to move as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake his mate. The tetchiness of the last weekend had by now made way to a sleepiness that was most unusual for D, but Leon didn't really mind. Not as long as no further early labour pains set in.

With care he reached out and pushed a strand of hair from D's face, smiling as the kami snuggled into the caress, even in half-sleep. "Hey, babe," he murmured, bending over D. "Go on sleeping, it's okay. I'll tell Q-chan to feed the kids."

D's eyes snapped open and he looked at Leon. "I had a dream," he said, shuddering slightly. "I think it had something to do with New Year's Eve…"

"That's long since gone, D." Leon laughed, amused and turned to look for his jeans. They had to be somewhere here.

"Only the Western New Year," D remarked from behind him, "But I think my dream was about Chinese New Year."

"That's still a few weeks until then, isn't it?"

"One, Leon."

Something in D's voice made Leon hark up and he turned to find the kami looking at him with feverish eyes. There was hunger in them, need, and something else – despair?

He gasped in surprise when D suddenly grabbed him and kissed him like his life depended on it. The sensation of a weird sinking feeling in his stomach and lust flaring up made Leon's head swim for a moment.

Then the latter won over the first. Leon growled and pinned D against the tree. "You know I'm gonna be late for work because of you now?"

"Why should you?" D gasped, both drawing away and pressing closer at the same time. "We're not having sex." And he wrapped his arms around Leon's neck and firmly held him in place.

"Not yet." The blue eyes were smouldering. "But just wait ten seconds."

* * *

Jill raised her eyebrow meaningfully when Leon showed up half an hour late. He at least had the decency to blush and pull his jacket over the bitemark. "Well, whaddya want? It's the hormones," he muttered and Jill had to bite her lip to suppress the laughter.

"The hormones. Of course. And if it's not those, it's stress therapy, or pheromones, or the fact that his skirt was too tight not to take advantage, or…"

"Okay, okay, I got it, stop it, Jill!" Leon interrupted, face flaming with embarrassment. "Good lords in heaven, just because you're sexually frustrated doesn't mean you've gotta talk about my sex life."

"But that's at least interesting. You know how interesting feeding a baby is?" Jill countered and leaned back in her chair. "I mean, sure, it's nice alright, but I'm telling you, you've really hit rock bottom when you start getting hot because the baby's sucking your nipples."

Leon looked like he'd really needed that bit of information this early in the morning.

Not.

"Jill. That. Is. Absolutely. Disgusting," he said, accentuating each word. His friend laughed and turned back to her computer screen.

"I'm just preparing you for what's gonna come yet. D'you think you'll be spared all that fun after the birth? No, buddy, I swear the Count's gonna get funny, too."

Leon wondered to which god he had to pray to prevent that. "Any news from Carter?" he asked to change the topic, not particularly wanting to think any more about that piece of information.

Jill shook her head. "Nope, not yet. I mean, it's not like I can call Andrea every second day and ask her what her FBI-agent is doing or not…"

Leon sighed, but he had to admit that Jill was right. They were anyway more than lucky that she actually did know a police officer from Chicago, where Carter had been sent to after Los Angeles. More than lucky.

He wanted to turn back to his work, but a voice from outside his cubicle made both him and Jill freeze.

"Donovan, leave off me. I am not your keeper," someone snarled. They exchanged a horrified look.

Then Devon Carter rounded the corner and smirked at them. "Why, hello, Detectives Orcot and Freshney. I hope you don't mind me spending my… vacation… in Los Angeles." His eyes narrowed and Leon gulped almost against his will. "I'm sure my stay here will be just as interesting as the first," the agent practically purred. "Don't you think so, too, _Detective_ Orcot?"

This time Leon was pretty sure that the war was on. And it would probably not end without some casualties.

* * *

**A/N:** anonymous: You think so? ^^ Well, I guess you're right... after all, it was just too good to be true, wasn't it. So - just wait and see what happens next, okay? (And I promise I will update this friday so you won't have to wait too long!) Thanks for the review!


	40. Attack

**Attack**

Later, Jill would think that she had only once seen someone pale as quickly as Leon did when he took up the phone that afternoon in the precinct, and that had been D when Mary Johnson had called to tell him Leon had been shot. Later, she would ponder how strange it was that Leon and D, in spite of all their fights and differences and completely diverse worldview still depended on each other so much it only took something happening to one of them to make the other come running to his side helter-skelter. And she would think that it was kind of cute, with a sharp pang of jealousy that she had no one who would do that for her.

But when Leon took up the phone, listened to the one on the other end and went deadly white in less than a second, Jill only felt terror creep into her heart. "I'm coming," her friend said, moving his lips as if it took the greatest effort he'd ever made just to say these two words. Then he put down the receiver and jumped up, ripping his jacket off the hook and running down the corridor.

Jill immediately ran after him. "Leon, where are you going?" she called. "What happened?"

She caught him in the elevator, hammering onto the button to force it to close faster. His eyes were huge and frightened though he tried to appear calm. "They got D," he said, shivering at the words. "He was in the park with the kids, and they lured him away and beat him up. One of them kicked him in the belly. Q-chan arrived too late to help him."

Jill's heart felt as if it would stop in her chest. "The baby?" she got out, feeling her teeth starting to chatter. Leon shrugged, keeping his eyes on the doors.

"Q-chan doesn't know. D's unconscious. So far he's not bleeding. But that doesn't mean that…" He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Guess we'll just have to pray."

The elevator stopped and Leon sprinted out to get to his car. Jill stayed in the elevator and numbly pressed the button for her floor again. She would have to explain to the chief. And then she would have to go and pick up Jamie.

_Oh please, dear God, don't let him lose the child. If you are there, don't let him die. Please don't._

* * *

Leon had never been so quick to arrive at the pet shop. He was pretty sure he had broken some speed limits on his way here, but hell if he cared.

The citizens of Chinatown sent him astounded glances as he rushed past them. They were used to Orcot being in a hurry, but what…

He fell almost down the stairs in his haste to get down as quickly as possible. The door downstairs slammed open and Dee came out, laughing and obviously in a hurry. As fixed as Leon's mind was on getting inside, he recoiled at the sight of the laughing child. Was Dee…?

The violet eyes caught him, widened in astonishment. Then he screamed. "Stop, Leon!"

He heard the quiet, half-whistling sound as if in trance, unable to move. He wouldn't have made it in time anyway; he was human, he was…

Someone in the shop shrieked in horror as they both tumbled down the stairs and came to stop at the bottom, entangled in each other. Leon's head swam, but he dimly realised that he was unhurt; unhurt as one could possibly be after a fall down a narrow flight of stairs, but still…

He pushed himself up slowly, and Dee, who was lying half beneath him, made a whimpering sound. Cold fear swept through the human again and he hurried to get up completely. Dee's eyes were closed, but he seemed unhurt so far…

"Oh my god!" Leon gasped and carefully picked the child up. Dee's eyes snapped open; the left hand wandered up to touch the right shoulder.

"Ouch," he said, bringing his left hand back to look at it with astonishment on his face. "Is this blood?"

"Don't move!" Leon hissed, glad that someone was holding the door open for him as he carried Dee inside. Chris let the door fall close and followed his brother, his blue eyes full with tears and fear.

"Brother!" he cried. The elder carefully lowered the kami child onto the sofa and immediately proceeded to unbutton his shirt. The youngest sat still, regarding him in wonder.

"Get D, Chris," Leon ordered, then looked aside. "Tetsu, Pon-chan, get some towels and hot water." He hissed when he finished taking the shirt off and saw the bleeding bullet wound. Dee was not going to die; it had hit the shoulder straight on, probably as he pushed Leon out of the way, but it could well be that it was still stuck in the flesh. It probably was; and the blood was dripping down his arm, on Leon's hands, the sofa, reminding him of…

"What have you done?" someone screamed, and Leon was pushed aside by a flash of golden eyes and black hair. Sofu towered over him, the normally cool eyes screaming murder. "What have you done to him again, human?"

The door was pushed open and someone practically fell inside. "Count, quick, they are going to kill Orcot…!"

Norma trailed off as she took in the picture. Leon was lying on the floor, his arm half raised as if trying to defend himself from Count D, who was leaning over him with the most wrathful expression on his face she had ever seen; and beside them both, half hidden by the eldest, the kami child on the sofa, holding his right arm, blood streaming down.

She closed the door with a deep sigh. "Well, seems I'm too late. Luckily little Dee apparently wasn't."

That shook everyone out of their trance again. Sofu abruptly stood and straightened his gown, then turned to Dee while Leon let his head fall back with a shuddering sigh. The vampire got closer, showing off her sharp teeth. "Why, young Dee, has your grandfather not taught you better manners? Bleeding in the presence of a vampire is most unadvisable," she said and accepted the towels from Pon-chan, immediately proceeding to lay them out on the sofa.

Sofu's hands were already wandering over the wound, probing and testing while Dee grimaced and tried to wriggle away. "Stop, Grandfather!" he protested, and fell back on Chinese, arguing.

Quick steps sounded and then D burst in, followed by Chris. The young kami cried out at the sight of his son, too. "What happened?"

Leon opened his mouth to reply, but Dee beat him to it. "Someone tried to shoot Leon-san!" he burst out enraged. "He was only coming down the stairs and someone shot at him!"

The blonde regarded the kami child wearily. "Yeah, and instead of letting me get hit, you pushed me aside and now Q-chan's gonna kill me for you getting hit instead."

"I would indeed very much like to do that if that would not mean finishing what the attacker was trying to do, which I highly resent out of protest," Sofu gritted through his teeth.

D sat down on his chair with a soft thump.

"He would've killed Leon-san! He was aiming right for his heart!" Dee sounded ever angrier, much to Sofu's displeasure.

"Be silent, foolish child! _You_ could have been killed, did you not think about that?" he raged. Leon's eyes met D's; then the human finally got up from the floor again.

"How bad is it?" he asked quietly, and Norma, assisting the old Count, shook her head, seeing that he wasn't very inclined to answer.

"Not bad at all. It's a mere fleshwound, and once we get the bullet out, he'll heal." She smiled, slightly mocking. "From my experience, I would say that it will not even take three hours before little Dee here is as good as new."

Chris nevertheless shuddered at her words and hid his face in D's shoulder, who immediately wrapped his arms around the human child. Sofu took something from a plate Tetsu had placed beside him and carefully inserted it in Dee's arm. The youngest pressed his lips tightly together, but didn't make a sound. Leon had to look away.

"There," the eldest finally said and stepped back, his golden eyes still blazing with anger and hatred. "Take care for some hours, Dee. The wound should not reopen if you are careful. Best go to your room and lie down until it has healed."

Dee clearly wanted to argue, but D disengaged himself from Chris and stood up, taking his good hand. "I fully concur with Grandfather, Dee. Come with me, I will take care of you," he said firmly and led the child away.

Back stayed Norma, Sofu, Chris, Leon and a few pets.

With a deep sigh, Leon started picking up the towels and cleaning up the mess the little adventure had left. Then suddenly something occurred to him and he turned to Sofu, glancing at the old kami sharply. "Did you call the precinct today?" he asked.

A golden glare was his answer. "Why should I?" Sofu countered icily. "I see absolutely no reason to call anyone for help."

"That's not what I mean," Leon clarified, setting the towels aside again. "I mean, did you call my desk to tell me that D had been beaten up in the park?"

Would it not have gone against his education, Sofu would have gaped. So his gaze just intensified. "And for which reason would I call to tell you lies? Whatever you think of me, my idea of amusement is another," he hissed. Leon nodded, once, twice.

Then he pushed Chris out of the room, following the boy to the back. "Right. Come one, Chris, I bet Dee wants some company."

Norma stopped the eldest before he could run after them, screaming and cursing Leon for his insolence. "I think we need to make a few phone calls, Count," she said, her expression serious. "The triad has started to attack. We need to prepare our response."

* * *

Why had D insisted on this, Leon wondered as he looked at the child, who in turn looked back at him with an expression of intense attention on his face. Why had he taken Chris back to the front with him and made Leon stay in Dee's room while he called everyone to their meeting? He could be of much more use anywhere else than here.

Dee's gaze was unsettling. Leon had gotten used to the child watching him, following him, taking such a great interest in him, but he still wasn't quite able to meet his eyes. Too strong was the memory of the first time he had seen those eyes – disguised, wanting him to believe that they were D's.

They surely were as expressive as D's were; Sofu's, even though Leon hated to admit that, were, too. But neither D's, how much he sometimes hated looking into them, nor Sofu's, no matter what hatred or despise filled them, were as unsettling as Dee's.

The child shifted slightly and called Leon's attention back to the here and now. "D'you want something to drink?" he asked, offering him a cup of tea. Dee shook his head and continued gazing at Leon. "Food? Some cake? I think D has some chocolate cream cake, would you like -?"

"Why did you kill me four years ago?" Dee asked.

Leon froze. He could not…

"You – remember?" he croaked, barely getting the words out of his mouth.

The youngest kami shook his head. "No. I overheard Father and Miss Jill talking about it. Father said that I make you uncomfortable because you remember."

Leon was unable to answer to that. He stared at Dee helplessly, wishing himself anywhere in the world than here.

The youngest lowered his gaze to the bedclothes. He fiddled with them with his good hand. "Why did you do it?" he asked, his voice small. Funnily enough, Leon thought somewhere in his brain, he didn't sound accusing. Just – very, very young and insecure.

"Was I such a bad man? What did I do? Why did I do it? Why did you kill me?"

Dee's violet eyes looked up at him again, pleading. He wanted answers – answers Leon wasn't able to give. He had barely met D's father once…

"I don't know, Dee," he heard himself saying, almost against his will. "I – I think Q-chan knows more about you than anyone else in this world, but… truth be told, I don't think that he'll ever tell you."

The hand plucking at the bedclothes grabbed stronger, almost tearing at them. "Grandfather will never tell me anything. Grandfather doesn't even want me to know who I am. Grandfather says that I am too young to understand, but I know what he really means is that I'm too stupid to understand. He is afraid!"

Dee spat the last words with such venom that Leon startled. "Is he?" he asked faintly. Dee glanced up at him and then continued plucking at the covers. There was a tear on his eyelashes. Just one small tear, hanging there like a dewdrop on a grass stalk in the morning. Leon couldn't decide if it was anger or sadness that made the youngest cry. He felt pretty helpless.

"I didn't want to kill you, actually." His voice sounded so soft, so hesitant. Leon wished it would be stronger. "I'm not like you, Dee. Not like your species. I was raised by humans and with their morals. Taking a life is a bad thing to do in my world and understanding. You were – I didn't actually want to do it. I only did it because I saw no other way. You were threatening to blow up the building, threatening to let a virus loose on humanity, threatening to kill everyone else…"

"So you chose the other people's lives over mine?" Dee's hand had stopped plucking, but his head was still bent. Leon nodded and clasped his hands, felt them shaking a little bit. The memory of the moments in the tower came back; he remembered the way his gun had felt in his hands, rough and bloody from his own as well as the blood of his enemies in that garden. He felt the brush of air on his skin, felt D's eyes. D's eyes, which had stared at his father in so much terror, so much fear in that moment…

"I don't think you wanted to live anymore," he said, his voice choking. "I think we all knew that you didn't want to live anymore. I don't know – I never understood if it was a test for me, or for Agent Howell, or perhaps even for your own son and father, and I don't know if I failed or passed that test. But you kept looking at us. At him. And I… I couldn't let you live. Howell wasn't able to kill you. He didn't want to, I think. He just wanted to stop you, make you realise what you were doing, but you were… so determined to end this game, whatever kind of game it was. If it was set up for us humans, for your family… until today, I'm only sure of one thing, and that is that you didn't want to live anymore. That this game was your last."

"Why?"

"Dee, I don't know!" Leon looked up and met the child's gaze, finally. "I don't know anything about the man you were. I know you were kind of a wicked bastard, in some sly way. At least, I think I know that. I know that D was deadly afraid that you would try to hurt Chris, once. I know that he was angry at you for what you did to Xiaomei, but all of those things are what other people told me about you. Nothing of this really tells me if you were like this or if it was just an elaborate game. Your family plays so much, with so many things, I'm just human and I don't understand those games most of the time."

"But if you understood that I wanted to die…"

"It wasn't _right_, Dee," the blonde interrupted the child. "It wasn't right to kill you. I mixed into a game that wasn't mine, and you can see the results in the ruins of D's and my relationship. I think that, perhaps, each and every of the persons who was there that evening was playing a different game… and that either outcome meant that someone would lose while someone else would win. It only depended on which game you yourself played."

"And which one did you play?" Dee asked. He didn't sound meek anymore, but very confused. Leon knew he was talking a lot of bullshit here, but he couldn't help it. That evening was an unsolved mystery in his mind, and one he knew that he would never be able to resolve, no matter how much he tried.

He took a deep breath and admitted the truth. "I was playing staying alive. That's all I was playing."

"And to ensure your own safety, you killed me."

"Perhaps. Well, yeah. Probably."

Dee suddenly smiled at him. Leon blinked, but the kami child still smiled. "What?" he asked, insecure. Dee tilted his head to the side.

"Grandfather is right," he said happily. "Humans are hypocritical. They pretend to not play the games other animals play, but they do it all the same. No matter which excuses you hide behind, you still follow instinct more than anything else in situations where you aren't able to rely on morals and conventions."

He suddenly jumped out of his bed and left his room, calling "Perhaps I only wanted to die to show you that!" back to Leon.

Well, if that had been his aim, Leon guessed that D's father had indeed won the game. Triumphantly.

* * *

The phone calls had brought everyone to the shop in an instant. Jill and Jamie were the last to arrive, and Ten-chan's eyes lighted up seeing them. Honlon and Pon-chan took care of the children. They knew that Chris and Dee would be listening at the door the moment they weren't watched anymore, but that couldn't be helped. It did concern them, too; but they didn't need to get all details.

Leon's gaze wandered around the room, taking in all those D had called. Pretty many, considering that this was supposed to be a personal thing between D and the triad. There was Jill, Ten-chan, Sofu, Norma, Yi and Patrick Jonas, Tetsu…

"Shao Lin, Sandra and your family are missing," D remarked quietly and let a mischievous smile flit over his face when Leon groaned at him again reading his thoughts.

"I don't even understand why you wanted to have them here."

"Because they are probably the ones who know best what Chinatown is talking about. Anyway, I need them."

Leon shot him a curious glance, but D didn't react to it. Instead, he turned and served everyone tea and cake before he sat down. The human didn't know how he'd done it, but the belly, which he knew was full of baby, seemed much smaller under the clothes D was wearing today.

Patrick Jonas grazed D with a glance as he leaned forward, his hands intertwined between his knees. "This is quite strange," he said with his deep, dark voice, brow wrinkled. "Why would they try to shoot you, Orcot? This isn't very much Chinese triad-ish, if you get what I mean."

"It doesn't have to be the triad who tried," Jill cut in, shuddering slightly. "Agent Carter said he'll be back, and he is, if you'll excuse the quote. However, he is as determined as the triad to see Leon and the Count dead."

"So maybe it was him, yes." Yi Jonas nodded.

Norma disentangled her legs and leaned forward, too. "It must have been him," she said quietly. "But the phone call came from the Shao's house, I am sure of it. I was there, I heard it." She looked at Leon and shrugged. "Unfortunately, I was too late to prevent anyone getting hurt."

"You are okay, Orcot?" the professor asked, looking at the younger male in concern. Leon nodded and smiled. "Yeah, pretty much. One of D's monsters pushed me out of the way in time."

He managed not to flinch at the pinch he received from D. Sofu looked pleased.

"What I want to know is why they even dared to put up such an obvious trap," D said, his voice hard. "Why did they dare to attack?"

"Well, the answer to that is given easily. They don't fear you anymore, Count," Ten-chan said lightly, but the grim expression in his eyes told otherwise. Everyone looked at him for further explanation and he sat up, taking his arm away from the back of the sofa, where it had inconspicuously surrounded Jill's shoulders.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you that, Count, but it's your own fault," he stated with a flat voice. "Both Shao Xi and Rau Wu Fei are the kind of human that only understands power and more power. You have failed to show them your full power, although you threatened to do so. It's not surprising that they thought you were weaker than you said. You've simply given them too much leeway."

D blushed at the reprimand from his pet, but the people in the parlour didn't say anything – didn't condemn his chosen way of action, didn't even criticise it, although Leon could see that at least the eldest would have liked to.

Norma's hand on his wrist, however, stopped him from saying something. And the humans were anyway looking at them with something in their eyes Leon didn't like too much.

Then Yi Jonas spoke up again. "Count, there is something else I have to tell you." Her voice was hesitant, but after a smile from her husband, she continued. "I have been… keeping in touch with Mrs. Shao all the time."

The young kami stiffened, but didn't say anything. The woman's eyes were slightly wide. "I didn't mean to betray you, I swear, I would never dream of that. But I needed to keep in touch. Not much, but at least somehow. Now, Mrs. Shao is of course aware of the fact that I kept visiting the pet shop and seeing you. She – she believes that you trust me, and thus she called me three days ago. She asked me if I could arrange a meeting between you and her."

"It's a trap."

Tetsu had spoken up before anyone else could, but they all agreed with the totetsu.

"Don't do that, Count," he continued, locking eyes with his master. "I mean it. Don't do that."

The young kami looked at the floor for a long moment. Then he raised his head. "Mrs. Jonas, I would be very much indebted to you if you would arrange that meeting," he said quietly. Yi's hand cramped around her husband's. "If you do not feel like being present, I respect that, but please arrange that meeting for me."

"D, no. There's no need for that, really there isn't." Jill involuntarily reached for his hand, her face pleading. "You can just…"

"No, Jill, I can not just." Gently D pried his hand loose. "What Ten-chan said was right. I have given them too much leeway in my desire to keep the peace. It is time that they learn who they have to fear."

D's eyes were hard when he said that, and Leon couldn't suppress a shudder. He didn't want to argue about this now – not in front of all those people, but later he would have to talk to D about it. Later. Not now.

Sofu's expression rested on his grandson with something that hinted at contentment. The shudder got worse.

"Please, would it be possible for you to arrange that meeting for the 30th of January? Three days from now on?" D turned to Yi Jonas again. The woman nodded.

"Of course, Count," she murmured, refusing to meet his eyes. D inclined his head.

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Jonas. I will call you tomorrow evening about the details. And as for you, Ten-chan and Norma…" He looked at them. "Later," he concluded.

The Jonas's and Jill got the hint and stood, getting ready to leave. D accompanied them to the parlour, but instead of going up the stairs like Jill and Patrick Jonas, Yi Jonas stayed back, scrutinising the kami with thoughtful eyes.

He tilted his head to the side. "Is there anything I can do for you still, Mrs. Jonas?" he inquired softly, feeling sadness radiate off the woman. She smiled and extended a hand, suddenly touching his cheek. D held still, not knowing what to expect.

"I was so happy that you returned, Count," she said quietly, looking him over as if wanting to memorise each and every detail about him. "And your baby – I wish I could express, somehow, how happy I was when I realised. No, please don't say anything – if you do, I cannot say it anymore. Count, despite appearances this here is a small community, and one that's deeply encased in traditions and prejudices. What you did – what you are doing – you can never estimate what it means to me that one of my very own gods…"

She stopped, searching for words and then shook her head, smiling the tears away. "Thank you, Count D," she whispered, bent forward and kissed him on the cheek.

D wanted so much to say something to her – to thank her and tell her what an honour and encouragement her words had been – or at least do something. But he couldn't. For perhaps the first time in his life, he wasn't able to find the right words as Yi Jonas stepped up the stairs and disappeared into the night to return to her home and husband.

"She's gotta be one of the greatest women in the whole wide world."

Leon's rough voice shook D awake. He turned around, smiling at the human companion he'd chosen for himself. "Definitely one of the most open-minded," he agreed.

The blonde let go of the doorframe to the back and stepped into the parlour. "Wish everyone 'round here was like that."

D's smile grew sad as he quietly closed the door. "It is a good wish, but as usual, it is also very idealistic."

"Is that it? The reason why you're always leaving?"

The kami sat down in his chair and looked at his lap, the belly clearly in view. "Yes. One of them."

"Did you leave 'cause I wouldn't leave you alone? Was it me?"

The black head was tilted to the side again, slightly. "What would you do if I said yes?"

"I'd feel – dunno, bad? For making you flee from me?"

One hand was raised, took in all of Chinatown around the shop with the gesture. "They will not. You see it now? The difference people like you make in this world? The reason why I have to try and change people's minds?"

Leon sat down heavily on the sofa. "Yeah, I know. I've known that for a while, D. It's still not a way I can approve of."

"It will never be." D gently wrapped his hands around Leon's. "Not in a thousand years."

"So why're you willing to put up with me then?"

D stared at their intertwined hands. The moment he had touched Leon's, the human's hands had responded and wrapped themselves around his hands in turn.

"Perhaps to remind me of that difference."

"So what are you going to do to them? Mrs. Shao, Taizu, you know. The triad. Carter."

D slowly looked up at him. Leon could read the answer in his eyes and swallowed hard. "D, no. Please. No."

"I am sorry, Leon," the kami whispered. "But I cannot let it go this time. I simply cannot. They have gone too far. Just remember what they did – what they would have done had Dee not been there, fortunately. Can you even imagine…?"

"D, it's my life that was put in danger. Shouldn't I get to decide what's gonna happen to those who put it in danger then?" Leon argued. D shook his head, his smile sad.

"No, Leon. This has gone far beyond any reasonable point. There is no place for mercy here anymore." He gently lifted their hands and brought them to his cheek, closing his eyes as skin met skin. "I will admit that it is my fault; I have allowed them far more leniency than I should have. Ten-chan and Tetsu are right, they do not fear me anymore like they should."

"Isn't there anything else you can do, D? Anything than kill them?" Leon could hear his voice breaking and knew he was pleading – pleading for the lives of people who hadn't hesitated to kill him just to reach their goals. He almost couldn't believe himself that he was doing it, but the way D looked and spoke, right now… "You scare me, D."

He blurted it out before he could stop himself, and D's mismatched eyes snapped open. He swallowed, opened his mouth to say something, but no sound emerged. Leon wanted to apologise, say that he hadn't meant it. But the truth was that he had. He was scared. He was afraid of what D was turning into again. He was deadly afraid that everything would break down on them again, just when they had finally built something that was worth all the pain it caused.

D closed his eyes again. A tear slowly emerged from the corner of his eyes as he dropped Leon's hands and instead pressed his own tightly together.

And before Leon could say anything else, he had fled the front room.

* * *

**A/N:** x: That's not very nice... saying that you don't trust me... *sniff* I'm really, really hurt.  
More or less. And look - I even managed to bring Ten back in this chapter so that you don't have to miss him anymore ;-)

sakura117: Yeah, they are. Hope you'll have fun ;-)


	41. And Getting Ever Tighter

**… And Getting Ever Tighter**

"My, Orcot! Do you want to be shot or what are you doing here, strolling about Chinatown like this?"

Patrick Jonas quickly tugged the younger man inside and closed the door after casting a quick glance around. The blonde stood in the entrance hall, swaying back and forth, looking absolutely awkward. "This way, please, Yi is in the kitchen, preparing dinner, and I think that kitsune of the Count's is helping her. We should have some privacy in my study."

Leon followed, his steps hesitant. The professor noticed, but said nothing. He had seen the expression on the young man's face yesterday, when they talked about the plans for the triad. For the future. He, and he suspected everyone else in the room, had felt deep pity for this poor boy who'd had his world overturned once and again by Count D. Probably only Leon hadn't realised what they were really talking about until…

"He's gonna kill them and then he's gonna leave America."

The blonde didn't look up as he fiddled with the Whiskey Patrick Jonas had handed him. The older man made a soft sound and sat down in the chair opposite to his.

"No, I know that he will," Leon said defensively as if Patrick had doubted his words. "I can tell. The look in his eyes, the way he looks at me – he's sad about it, but he will do what he has to do. What he thinks he has to do because of some stupid unwritten godly law!"

Fury broke through and he glared at the professor. "Can you explain why such stupid rules exist? Why does D have to kill people to make them respect him and his affairs? Why can't they just fucking leave him alone?"

"Do you know the history of the Count's species, Orcot?" Patrick Jonas asked, taking a sip. Leon wanted to nod, then bit his lip.

"Some of it," he admitted. "But I never – well, I guess we both thought it's long gone…"

"This is the way it has always been, Orcot. Humans respect those who threaten them. I do not know why; perhaps it's just our nature. I'm sure the Count would be able to lecture you about that should you really want to know."

A half-smile appeared on Leon's lips. Patrick Jonas chuckled. "Yes, I thought so. Well, then I will tell you some things about him and you." He took another sip, savouring the taste.

"The Count's species, despite the fact that they used to send out delegates to courts and villages, always lived very isolated in the mountains," he said softly. "Legends tell that they were almost as shy as animals when it came to humans. Once in their company, they used to fascinate everyone; they had exceptionally well manners, amazing wisdom and many more abilities that made the humans treat them as gods. But in truth, they were afraid of them and their power. They never trusted the Count's ancestors, and this is why they were nearly erased. In the centuries that followed, new legends were told, legends about a beautiful Chinese man, lonely and last of his kind. The humans felt kinder towards him now, treated him as what he was, as they would treat a stranger whose village had been burnt down. But do you know what the difference to this stranger was?"

Leon, who had been hanging on his lips, nodded slowly. "I think I do. The stranger – the usual stranger, I mean – he isn't powerful. He's lonely and poor and no danger."

Patrick Jonas smiled at him. "Exactly, Orcot. The usual stranger presents no more danger to a household than some mad dog or crazy relative does; no one trusts him either, but that isn't the point, because he has to behave himself, as he is facing superiority. The Count? I think we both know that he alone is a danger nobody would willingly underestimate. So the legends changed again, from the tragic survivor to the angry avenger."

His deep brown eyes sucked Leon in. "You know what that means, Orcot. But as it goes, legends are forgotten only too soon, or disregarded. The ancestors of my wife were still afraid of Count D. Yi, although she pretends not to be, is, too, deep in her heart. She is able to deal with it because she belongs to the few the Count himself shows respect to; it makes her feel more or less safe. But would you ask our children, they probably would pass what we know off as old-fashioned fears and tales. Although they really should know better." His eyes twinkled happily. "I'm not saying this is bad – but in some cases, it is stupid. Now, as for Mrs. Shao – she is very ambitious and cunning, but I'm afraid that 'wise' is not a word anyone would use for her. Neither for Rau Wu Fei or Devon Carter. What they see is someone who is alone – who has to bow to superiority, and if he does not, they become angry."

"So you're saying D's justified to kill them?" Leon almost choked on the words, partly because he was blazing with fury, partly because he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Much to his relief, Patrick Jonas shook his head, his eyes darkening. "No, Orcot, that is not at all what I think. I think that giving them a lecture they will never forget would suffice – but this isn't my affair, after all, it's the Count's, and he is the one who decides. Do not forget, Orcot, he is a god – his judgement does not need to be justified towards humans."

"And what about me? What about how I feel about that?"

The gentle hand on his shoulder made Leon look up into those brown eyes. For a moment he almost imagined a father was talking to him.

"Like I have said before, and like I will repeat over and over again, Orcot, humans and gods are destined to run into trouble when they decide to spend their lives together." Patrick Jonas' voice was soft. "You have no other choice than to either accept that or decide that you will rather go back to living your life like you did before you met him."

Leon's head dropped back to his chest. "I can't leave him. It would be – I can't."

"Because he is pregnant?"

Now the head snapped up and the professor chuckled. "Don't look at me like that. Yi and I have known for months – since you came for tea. There is a certain air around young going-to-be parents, and you and the Count, you were choking on that air. And even if we hadn't guessed already then, might I just tell you that his belly was quite difficult to overlook yesterday, despite his attempts at hiding it? Mind, not that anyone else really believes in it," he added, seeing the look on Leon's face. "They would rather believe anything than that. Any explanation for why the Count hasn't left the shop for weeks or received anyone will be accepted, as long as it isn't the true one. You wouldn't believe what Chinatown is humming with."

He chuckled and swirled the whiskey in his glass. "No, Orcot, you've been drawn into this mess. You let yourself be drawn into it, so I'm afraid you can't blame anyone else for it. You have to sort it out yourself."

The younger man took a deep, shuddering breath. "But I can't come with him either," he said miserably, causing Patrick Jonas to look at him in surprise. "No – not because of what he is going to do – it's got something to do with the shop. Humans aren't allowed to…" He stopped, hesitated. The other man's eyes began to sparkle.

"Oh, so this shop does have a few secrets still, doesn't it?" he said, smiling. "You know, I've always wondered just how exactly the Counts managed to cross borderlines without anyone noticing… travelled from China to England to France in less than a week, and that in 1743…"

Leon blushed a deep red and he relented, laughing softly. "No, you don't have to tell me. 'Secrets that aren't mine', Orcot. I respect that. So we will just take what you said and say that the shop will not want you to travel with the Count – why?"

"I don't know exactly," Leon confessed, blushing even deeper.

"But I do," someone interrupted and they both turned to see Ten-chan in the door. Neither had heard the nine-tailed fox come in, but he had obviously been listening for quite a while, since his face was more serious than Leon had ever seen it. "Only – I need to know something beforehand."

He came inside, closing the door carefully, and went straight to Leon, bending over him. "Tell me. Why do you want to go with the Count?"

The blonde blinked and sputtered for a few moments. "Why – you – because I love him, of course!"

"And the fact that you feel responsible for the children and don't want to have the same as with Dana again isn't a point in it?" Ten-chan inquired, his eyes hard and gleaming. Leon glared and retreated, sulking. "Well…"

"Leon, be honest." The fox was very stern now. "If you lie to yourself, or to the Count, about why you want to stay with him, it's not going to work. Not staying there and neither your relationship. Would you leave him if it wasn't for the children?"

Long silence stretched.

"I don't know," Leon admitted finally, his voice very soft. "I'm not sure. I don't want him to do that thing. I don't want him to kill anyone, ever again. But I promised I wouldn't force him to be someone he isn't, and I won't. I don't think that – well, it is a problem, every time a customer dies again. But I still want to be there. Not only with him, but _there_. In the shop. With Dana, with those stupid pets, with D; if I have to, even with Dee and Q-chan."

Ten-chan closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Patrick Jonas watched them with keen attention. Leon could feel a shiver on his back.

"Good," the fox finally said, opening his eyes again and smiling at Leon. "Good. Keep that in mind when you ask the shop to be allowed to stay. And then I think everything should turn out just fine."

Leon's eyes wandered to Patrick Jonas, but the man only smiled and shrugged helplessly. "I guess he knows more than I do," he said. Ten-chan turned and winked at him, returning to his mischievous self.

"Of course I do. I've been alive for almost 300 more years than you," he joked and took Leon's empty glass from him. "Come on, Leon, I'll take you home. Can't have someone succeeding in shooting you now, can we?"

Leon followed him, short-taken by this sudden change. They all went down the stairs and to the door. Almost out of it, Leon remembered something and turned back to the professor. "Uh, for today," he began, caught the wink in the older man's eyes and smiled, heart-felt. "Thank you, Professor Jonas."

He laughed and waved at him. "Welcome, Orcot. Anytime."

* * *

"D, how can I ask the shop to allow me to stay here?"

D managed just so to catch the falling teacup. "What did you say?" he inquired, shaken.

Leon turned to look at him from where he'd hung his jacket up. He had been gone the whole day, much to D's unease, but he didn't want to imprison Leon any more than…

"Ten-chan said I've gotta ask the shop if it's okay if I stay here," he explained, supplying D thus with the knowledge where he had been.

Slowly the kami sat down on the edge of the sofa and looked at him. "Did he also tell you what would happen if you asked?"

"Yeah." Blue eyes held mismatched ones. "He did. I don't care, D. I'm anyway bound to end up in this shop time and again, no matter what I do. Unless you suddenly decide that you rather wanna live in a normal flat with the new baby."

D shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts. The door went behind his back and someone entered.

"I think it is time that you do it," Shuko said calmly. "He has been here for long enough, Count. There is of course no guarantee, but I think it is worth a try."

"It is irreversible," D pointed out softly, beginning to shake. He had never wanted Leon to make this decision either. "Leon, it is okay for me if you don't do this. I don't want to imprison you…"

"D, you'll have to flee from America the moment you kill Mrs. Shao and Taizu." Leon's voice sounded very responsible. "You'll have lots of people at your tail, last but not least Taizu's family from China. You said yourself that you cannot take me with you otherwise."

"I could still stay…"

"- and wait for the police to arrest you for murder? Sorry, D, but that's not an option."

D was shivering badly now, his whole body trembling. "I do not want you to do this for me, Leon."

Someone knelt down in front of him. Leon softly touched his face. "But I want to do it, D. Not for you. Not for you alone. For the kids. For me. Where should I go to if I can't go to you, D?"

"You want to tell me that you approve of me killing Mrs. Shao, Taizu and probably a few others of their friends?"

"I don't." Leon gazed aside. "I won't, ever. So here's the deal: I get Carter. You won't do anything to him. He's mine, no matter what. As for such events in the future -" He looked up, meeting D's eyes again. His own blue became hard. "You will never, ever, no matter where we go, no matter who it is, let things progress so far again. You will never, ever hesitate to flee for so long again, no matter what the situation, what the cause. No one is ever going to be killed after this again. Not because of that, at least."

D looked at him, stunned.

"Or I swear, I'll take the kids and leave you forever," Leon added, his blue eyes still hard. "And I won't care if the shop tries to hold me back then. I'm gonna find a way to break it."

D smiled a little. For some reason he was pretty sure that Leon's hard head would indeed be able to find a way to break the connection again.

"Now that we have talked about all this, do we finally want to _do_ something about it?" Kanan put in, sounding impatient. But Leon had noticed the almost austere gravity in her voice. He stood and extended a hand towards D.

"I'm ready," he said. "No better time than the present to get things done."

D let himself be pulled up, kept Leon's hand in his and led him into the back, with Honlon following close.

He suspected that this was how the customers usually got to see the shop. Dimly lit corridors, doors into the endless, incense drifting through it all in clouds and wisps, curling around Leon as if trying to touch him. The air was softer and cooler here, reminding Leon of old churches and dusty attics and cool cellars all at once.

"Where are we going, D?" he asked, whispering. D smiled back at him. Kanan took his hand and walked up beside him.

"To the shop's heart," the kami replied, his voice too very soft. "To where you can ask your question."

Leon nodded and wrapped his hand tighter around Kanan's. His dragon daughter smiled up at him, too, and rubbed her cheek to his hand for a moment. It helped.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of corridors, D stopped in front of a door, taking a deep breath. "We are here," he said and laid one soft hand to the wooden door.

It swung open silently, without any sign of creaking or other indication that it was as heavy and regal as it looked. Leon would have expected it to open like the Crystal Chamber's doors did, always a little hesitantly and clearly protesting the intruder, but it just swung open, although D hadn't even pushed.

Following the tug at his hand, he stepped inside the room. There was no incense in here, but the scent lingered in the air as it did everywhere in the shop. Only here it didn't somehow cloud Leon's senses, it seemed to – enhance them, actually.

Then he noticed that they hadn't stepped into a room at all. It was…

Perhaps 'space' would have defined it. Or at least done it some justice. But it wasn't space. Leon felt as if he was on the top of a mountain, the world stretching out around him endlessly, although he couldn't see it, in the sense of the word. But he felt it.

At the same time, there was something that reminded him of the bottom of the ocean – deep and quiet, but humming with the power of the earth's core, so much closer there than at the surface of the earth. Leon felt a little bit like some indescribable pressure was upon him, weighing down upon him, pressing him to the floor…

D and Kanan tugged at his hands and led him further into it, whatever it was. Somewhere far off, Leon could see something dancing, almost as if it was…

Oh. It _was_ burning. Only not like any fire Leon had ever seen did. The… flames? were kind of like blue glass, moving more like one would expect waves to roll, slowly, but it still was definitely a _fire_.

D stopped in front of the place where the fire burnt. He didn't let go of Leon's hand as he sat down on the ground. Kanan did the same, so Leon was more or less left without a choice as what to do. As he sat down, he noticed that the ground felt like earth, although he wasn't quite sure if it looked like earth.

From somewhere a slight wind came and brushed through his hair. He considered pushing the strays out of his face, but his hands were still busy with holding Kanan's and D's, so he let it go.

The wind increased, making the glassy fire flicker to the sides. Slowly it spread around them. Leon should probably have been worried about that, but the fire did so in such a calm, quiet way that he just couldn't bring himself to worry about it. Besides, he was pretty sure that D and Kanan would not…

He glanced to the side and realised with some surprise that it wasn't Kanan sitting beside him, but Honlon, all three heads resting peacefully on the floor. Still he was holding the clearly girlish hand in his.

His head began swimming slightly, once more resenting the strange way things – and pets – were in the shop. His mind was rattling, telling him that it couldn't _be_, but his own feelings told him that it _was_.

Leon closed his eyes; it became better for a moment. His reason stopped being so unreasonable when he didn't see anything weird, when he just felt. He could trust his feeling.

Then his head filled with pictures. Slowly they filtered in, like light through a blind. He managed to stay calm, recognising them. This was Kanan, rummaging around in his head again, like she had done in his coma. This was nothing new, nothing weird; he had experienced it all before.

The pressure was suddenly there again. Leon found himself at the bottom of the ocean, in a deep, deep spot, where the earth's core was humming restlessly beneath him, pulsing through him, his veins…

No, this wasn't earth's pulse. It was… deeper, like it was in his belly, and there was something in his chest, suddenly, too…

Leon was unable to gasp; he was too deeply ensconced in all those feelings. His mind told him what he was feeling; his mind and Kanan's mind, almost melded in him, as his body was almost melded with D's. He tumbled between the both of them, finally succeeding in taking them both up, taking them both in, the feelings from D, the mind from Kanan…

The feelings intensified, as did the mind. The pressure weighed down on him, making an earnest attempt to push him to the floor, trying to force him down. Leon gritted his teeth and let himself fall into the kaleidoscope of body and soul, let himself fall into the other body, the other soul…

The humming sound he had been hearing at the corner of his vision changed. It took on a deeper note, almost indiscernible for human ears now, but not for his body. Leon vibrated with it, but it didn't frighten him. Eyes still closed, he whispered.

"Please let me stay here."

The humming sound receded, growing fainter and fainter. The two other hearts stopped pulsing in his body; Kanan's mind let go off his.

Leon opened his eyes to find both D and his daughter staring at him. Behind Kanan's eyes lurked Shuko and Junrei, as clearly visible as if they were the three-headed dragon. He could see it now.

D hesitantly extended a hand, smiling as he touched Leon's cheek. "Welcome in the shop, Leon," he whispered, just as Kanan cuddled close from the other side.

* * *

Sofu was sitting in the parlour when they returned. He looked up at them, a strange expression in his eyes, and got to his feet. Very reluctantly he extended a hand towards Leon.

"I hope you will never regret what you just did," he said quietly, briefly glancing at his grandson and the dragon. "I think you are aware that now you have been tested and found worthy of staying in the shop. So I will say no more about it."

He had left before Leon could find words.

* * *

**A/N: **Writing this text for the third time now... but still, the announcement hasn't changed: This story is going to be M-rated as off the next chapter. So keep that in mind when you're looking for it - or simply add it to your favourites... ;-)

x: I'm sorry for confusing you... No, that wasn't really my aim. However, I'm glad you still enjoyed ^^  
Yeah, Ten-chan is without any doubt a rather... let's call it "interesting", shall we? character (which is one of the reasons why I love him so much). But as to the kid gloves... well, I for my share can understand why D didn't act earlier, although it woulda been wiser of course.  
Well, D and Leon aren't exactly known for wanting to see the obvious, are they? What they are thinking sometimes is, however, out of my reach... *sigh* Well, I hope you'll stay onboard for the rest of the ride, too. Not much more left ;-)


	42. Starting Goodbye

**Starting Goodbye**

Chris wasn't happy at all when Leon took him aside the next morning after breakfast. "Hey buddy," he said, sitting down on a chair and indicating another for his little brother. "So, I'll make it short. D and I've decided that we're gonna leave America."

"And I'm not coming with you, am I?" the boy said, sounding resigned and angry at the same time. "Why can't I come with you, too? Dee'll come with you, I'm sure of that! Grandfather said he's gonna come along wherever he goes."

"Yeah, buddy, I know." Leon sighed and scratched his head. He truly hated having to explain this to Chris, but he still wanted to do it himself. Chris was _his_ brother, after all. "Trust me, I'd love to take you with us, too, but I can't do that. D and I don't even know where we're gonna end up. We want you to be safe, Chris."

"But Dana and the baby aren't going to be safe if they're with you either," Chris argued. The elder Orcot rolled his eyes. The boy was getting too clever for his taste.

"But Dana and the baby are D's and my children, Chris. They don't have anywhere safe they could go to. Q-chan's got Dee, and he's just as safe or not safe as the pet shop. That's no difference. But you have a home, you've got Aunt Mary and Josie and Sam, and for you it's much safer to be with them. Plus, you're a human, and you know what the shop and humans are like."

"You're a human, too." Chris pouted. "I don't want to go back to Mum and Dad. I don't care that Dad promised he'd not say anything about the Count and you anymore. I wanna go with you, Brother."

Leon sighed deeply and admitted that he did have a point. "Still, that's different. I'm going with D and Dana and the baby because they're my children. I can't leave my kids alone, now, can I?"

"No." Chris looked downright angry. "But I'm their uncle. I wanna stay here, and I don't care for Mum and Dad. You're my brother, and if you get to stay here, I wanna stay here, too."

Chris seldom showed that he, too, possessed the infamous Orcot hardhead. But right now he'd set his mind on not being thrown out of the shop again, and he was determined to get through with it. Leon did what he could, brought up all he could think about – Chris's friends, both here in LA and in Long Island, how sad Mary'd be, and that Arthur'd make a fuss since Chris still was legally his son. It was no use. Chris stayed hard as a rock, and the discussion became ever more heated while they were running in circles.

"If the shop's accepted you in here, it's gonna accept me, too," Chris protested wildly against the argument that he was still human and thus, not allowed inside the shop.

A soft voice interrupted them from behind. Both Orcots turned to look at the Count, who was standing in the doorframe, one hand over his belly. "Chris, your brother has gone too far already. It's not only a question of the shop accepting the human; it's also important that vice-versa the human accepts the shop. Leon has decided to stay in the shop, he has accepted the bonds between both Kanan and me and him. Even if he wanted, he will now never be able to fully return to the human world again. He may visit, but he will always return to the shop. To us."

Chris looked shocked and jealous at the same time. "But I want that, too! I don't care if I can never return," he stated, determination in his blue eyes. Much to his disappointment, both Leon and D shook their heads decidedly. The kami came to put an arm around the boy's shoulders.

"Chris, you are young, you are not yet eleven years old. Your brother is old enough to make such a decision, but we want you to be able to decide freely. You do not know yet what this might cost you," D forestalled any protest Chris wanted to make. "You haven't seen much of the human world yet, certainly not enough to not regret your decision later."

He embraced the boy, who looked both angry and teary. "I wish I could keep you here, believe me, as much as Leon does. But it is not yet time for that decision, and we both would never forgive ourselves if you would be unhappy later." Looking into the blue eyes, he stroked Chris's cheek with one finger. "If you should, one day, when you are old enough and know what you are giving up, decide that you want to return to the shop, we will more than gladly welcome you back. But in the meantime, you will have to accept that you can only visit here for some time before we will send you back to your family."

Chris's eyes wandered off, and Leon followed his gaze to see Dee peeking around the corner, the violet eyes mirroring Chris's expression. He couldn't help but feel that another silent deal had just been made.

"We've gotten you a plane ticket for this evening," he said, sighing a little. "Please, Chris, please don't make a fuss. Can't you understand that D and I -"

"Yeah, okay, I get that you think it's better for me this way," Chris replied and shoved his hand away to stomp off grumpily. "Adults can be such losers!"

D and Leon stayed in the parlour and blinked in surprise while Chris vanished once more into the labyrinth of the shop, tugging his best friend with him and calling for his niece. "I think he's getting quite a bit self-assured," Leon remarked dryly after a moment.

The kami patted his hand reassuringly. "He will need it, believe me. After all, it will be shattered many times once he is back in the human world…"

Leon hunched his shoulders. "I don't feel all that good about it, D," he sighed. "Chris loves the shop and his friends, and Dee and Dana…"

"And do you truly want to sentence him to a life that will sooner or later cut him off human company? A life that consists of fleeing and being frightened that one's secret will be found out?"

"It's bad enough that we're doing that to our own children," the blonde said glumly and laid a careful hand on the big bulge. "It's cruel."

"But they are at least half kami," D reminded him softly. "For them it is not as bad as it would be for Chris."

Leon looked up and smiled at him crookedly. "Yeah. Let's hope that they won't tell us we were wrong there one day."

* * *

They brought Chris to the airport alone, without Dee or Dana or any of his other friends around, because Leon said that he wanted to have the last minutes with his little brother to himself. The boy was surprisingly calm once he'd gotten rid of his anger with the help of his friends. He was still sad, but especially the glances he shared with Dee told both adults that something was up.

However, neither Leon nor D cared to ask; if the children were keeping secrets, they wouldn't interfere. After all, the only one who was truly happy about Chris's return to his family was Sofu, and even he looked lost for a moment when Chris stepped up the stairs to Leon's car and waved at his friends.

Then they were at the airport, far too quickly for Leon's taste, standing in the great hall, waiting for Chris's call. He tugged at his brother until the boy came to stand beside him and laid an arm around his shoulder, noticing to his astonishment that Chris had really grown in the last few months. He was almost a teenager now; and Leon was going to miss out on this part of his life, too.

"Hey buddy, no hard feelings, okay?" he said with a dry mouth. Chris looked up at him, and his eyes softened at the expression on his brother's face.

"Stop calling me buddy all the time," he said and elbowed Leon. "Your buddies are old men."

"As if yours were any better. Dee's hundreds of years old," Leon protested and ruffled Chris's hair. The boy squealed and they started to tussle with each other. D watched them, smiling to himself, and let them say goodbye before he embraced the child, too, promising to send postcards and photos of the new baby once it was born; promising as well that Chris wouldn't have to wait too long before he could visit again; promising not to forget him…

"He's gonna return," Leon said, watching his little brother board the plane to New York. D turned to look at him and the human shrugged. "Not just because of us; Dee and he – they've become pretty good friends, despite Q-chan's bitching."

D's eyes never left his ex-and-again-lover's face as he asked, "And how do you feel about that?"

Leon again shrugged, visibly uncomfortable. "I don't know, D. I like that little brat, but if, one day… I don't want Chris to go through all I had to go through. Or perhaps even worse."

D's small hand sneaked into his. "Me neither," he said quietly. "And I also do not want Father to suffer again."

Leon's eyes flew to him, a quick glance. "Howell?"

"We will never know, and perhaps that is for the best," D said firmly, after a moment's hesitation. "Anyway, thinking now about what might or might not happen in ten years is stupid; we won't change anything and achieve even less with it. Just because you had to pay such a high price to earn your passage on the ship doesn't mean it will be the same if Chris chooses to return one day; perhaps he will learn from our mistakes and do better. But all of that is future, and we have to deal with the present." His hand slightly squeezed Leon's. "Let us return to the shop now; a lot of work is to be done."

* * *

It had taken them weeks, months, to realise how dire the situation was, but it took them only a few days to sort out everything. Norma left shortly after Chris, in the early morning hours; she decided to travel to her home country and leave America for the time being. Leon accompanied her to the station and even managed to thank her for her help. The vampire smiled at him sarcastically before she stepped into the train.

"You know, human, if the Count hadn't already declared you his mate, I'd truly consider taking you with me. At least your company would ensure it never gets boring."

Faster than a lightning she had thrown her arms around him, making them look like a couple taking their goodbyes, but Leon could feel the sharp teeth just barely scraping over the skin on his throat, and he froze, horrified. Norma laughed noiselessly, her whole body vibrating. "I'm looking forward to meeting you somewhere else on this world again," she murmured and was gone before Leon had recovered from his shock.

Gasping for air, he felt at his throat, but Norma hadn't even drawn blood, much to his relief. And then he made that he came out of the station. Vampires were still beyond his comfort zone, and he severely doubted that that'd ever change.

He had calmed down by the time he reached the precinct, but Eliza's delighted cry at his sight made him start and jump. His colleague hurried over to him, Jessica at her heels, and took his hand. "Hey Leon, is that a _ring_? A real ring, like in, wedding band?"

"Uh…" the blonde answered, uncomfortably. "Well… kind of…"

"Did you finally marry the Count? Oh, why didn't you tell us before?" Jessica sighed longingly and admired the silver band. Leon hastily shoved his hand into his pocket. He had always taken it off until now when he went to the station, not wanting the ring to get lost on some case. But today, now, after yesterday…

Well, it was there, so no point in defying facts. The truth was that he needed the reassurance the ring gave him today. He supposed it must have felt like this for D when Leon gave him his ring, almost a year ago, and for a moment he smiled at the memory.

"It's not a wedding band. We can't marry, you know that. Now excuse me, please, I've gotta talk to the chief." He pushed past the giggling women and went into the bureau of his superior, hearing Liza whisper, "And I bet he _did_ marry him!"

Then the door was closed and Leon relaxed slightly again. The chief turned to him and scrutinised him. "Are you done causing uproar in here anytime soon? 'Cause you know, I'd like people to work sometimes," he remarked dryly and indicated the seat. "Now what's it this time? Someone shot at you again?"

His dark eyes rested on Leon's face and the blonde shifted uncomfortably. He'd already had a long talk with the chief after that attack; and it had been very hard to explain why neither he nor D wanted to press charges. And he knew the man still wasn't convinced by his explanation.

So he just blurted out his request. "Chief, I need your help."

There was silence; someone in the corridor started squealing in delight, joined at once by Eliza and Jessica.

"For what?"

Leon's mouth was dry. "Arresting Devon Carter."

"The Count, no doubt."

He nodded, unable to say anything.

"And I don't want to ask why, right?"

Leon shook his head. The chief sighed and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "Okay. Okay, Orcot, let's take this slowly. I promise I won't ask you any questions about the Count; what he is, what he is not, why he needs you to do this. I just want you to answer one simple question: Are you going to leave?"

"Yes."

Sharp eyes looked at him. "And you want to hand in your resignation?"

"Well, actually, I -"

"Not one more word, please." The chief leaned forward on his desk, making Leon feel like he was being dissected under a microscope. "You're a cop, Leon. You are, have always been and will always be a cop. It's who you are." He held up his hand, not giving Leon time to protest or say anything. "No, listen to me. There was a time when you were the last one in the world to keep secrets. There was a time when you didn't have to lie to those who like you. There was a time when one always knew what you were thinking just by the look on your face. Then came the Count."

He made a pause, looking at him still. "I'm not sure if I like what you've changed into. I'm not completely, honestly sure that I shouldn't rather arrest the Count, with no regard to if or not he's guilty of anything."

Leon almost smiled. "Maybe you should've done that a few years ago already," he pointed out softly. "I'm afraid now it's too late."

The chief nodded heavily, his eyes falling close. "I'm afraid it is. Well, I can't help it anymore then. So tell me, Orcot, why do you want to arrest Devon Carter?"

Leon smiled, now. It probably wasn't happy, but it was honest. "To rescue his life, Chief."

"To -" The man floundered, tried to find words and ended up staring at Leon. He leaned forward, using his hands to explain.

"You're right, Chief. I'm a cop. I've solved the Count's mystery. So my next case is to rescue Devon Carter's life."

* * *

"So, whatcha up to this time?"

The kitsune looked up from his backpack and met his best friend's eyes. Tetsu pushed himself off the doorframe and came into his little, overstuffed room, glancing here and there.

"You really should try to keep some more order in here," he remarked casually. "The Count's gonna have a fit if the kids ever find this room and end up wreaking havoc in here, too."

Ten-chan smiled and turned back to his rucksack wordlessly. Tetsu stopped in the middle of the room and looked directly at him. "It's not that I've known you that long, you know…"

"I think you know me well enough," the fox answered softly, carefully folding a T-Shirt.

"So you are gonna do it?"

With a little sigh the T-shirt was put down again. Ten-chan looked up and met Tetsu's eyes. "Do I have a choice, Tetsu?" he asked, earnest. Not even his eyes glinted this time. The totetsu shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know. I'm actually not really sure anymore if anyone ever had any kind of choice in this whole affair."

"I don't know about the Count and Leon." Ten-chan chose his words very carefully, making pauses in between. "But I know that I do have a choice. The only thing that doesn't leave me a choice is myself. So, in a way, I both have and don't have a choice, but whatever is going to come out of it, I know that it was still my decision."

"They are so gonna fuck up again without you present," T-chan remarked, sounding resigned. Ten-chan threw his head back and laughed.

"No, they aren't," he replied, amused. "After all, you're still here. I'll just trust in you not to let them fuck up again. At least, not like they did the first time."

"Which only leaves eight million one hundred thousand other ways of fucking up." Tetsu stepped up beside his friend and gave his shoulder an awkward pat. "Missing out on the second one after all, won't you?"

Ten-chan winked at him and shouldered his backpack. "Yeah, I guess. But guess what? I think it's gonna be worth it."

* * *

**A/N:** Sad announcement... no update coming on friday, probably, as I'll be up and about, travelling. So while that's nice for me, it's not that nice for you... but next week again, I promise ;-)

x: Yeah, he's truly got a lot of wisdom ;-) More than one'd think, anyway (or just a lot more experience with such relationships...). What else can I say about your review? I honestly don't know... you hit the nail on the head with what you wrote, and I for my share was awfully happy about that ^^ I really do hope you'll stay on for the last few chapters, too...

Shadowfox13: Thank you very much :-) I'm trying to, so, well... have fun ^^


	43. History Has a Way of Repeating Itself

**History Has a Way of Repeating Itself**

The door to Leon's room was closed. D sighed as he looked at it, buttoning up his cheongsam. Since Leon had returned from his talk with the chief this morning, he had locked himself and Dana up in the room. D had let him be. He knew that nothing he could say or do would take Leon's mind off the coming events. If having his daughter at his side would help him deal with them… well…

A half-smile flitted across his face as he laid a hand on his belly. He was carrying Leon's child still with him at the moment. So they both had something to hold on to. It was only fair.

"Here, let me help you with that."

Sofu's fingers expertly closed the buttons while D let his hands sink down. His grandfather didn't look at him while he was talking. "Do you wish me to accompany you?"

The golden eyes showed amusement at his surprise. Then his grandfather cupped his cheek in one hand and grew serious again. "I know how you feel, D," he said quietly. "Believe me, I do. I know that it was me who told you that you will have to choose between your family and your duty from now on, but I…" He sighed as he made his grandson step up in front of the mirror so they could look at themselves there, identical and yet so different.

"D, whatever your future will look like and no matter if he will be able to come to terms with what your duty is or not, remember that you are yourself." Sofu's golden eyes fixed on D's mismatched ones. "You are _kami_ – you are god and fate, you are avenger and protector. Whatever you do, remember that it is not for him to judge your actions."

He let go off the younger one again. "Now, do you want me to go with you?"

D took a deep breath and smiled shakily at his grandfather. "Yes, please."

* * *

"Why, Yi, I am really very thankful. It has been so difficult to get a grip on the Count lately, but I really must talk to him."

"Of course, Xi, of course." Yi Jonas' face showed the pleasant Chinese smile as she followed the other woman into the garden house. "I hope you will forgive my rudeness – asking to use your garden house, but you see, our garden house at home is being renovated today, and it was such quick notice that I didn't have time…"

"Do not worry about that, Yi, dear. We so seldom use ours anyway, although it's such a charming place. I am sure the Count will agree with me." Slowly Shao Xi sat down on a chair, waving her dark-clad bodyguard to the wall behind her. Yi Jonas looked at him questioningly.

"Xi, are you sure this is necessary? Why would the Count wish to harm you, and on your own premises, too?" she asked, seemingly innocent. Shao Xi tittered gently.

"Oh Yi, dear, haven't you heard the absolutely outrageous rumours in Chinatown?" At the shake of head, Shao Xi continued, "Well, they actually dare to insinuate that I tried to murder the detective, can you just believe that? With the help of a sniper, no less!" She took out her fan and fanned herself in obvious indignation. "A sniper!" she sniffed pompously.

"I am so sorry to hear that," Yi Jonas murmured politely. "No, I haven't heard that yet; as you maybe know, my daughter's son has taken ill and I was not in town for a few days."

"Oh yes, oh yes. Do not feel bad about it, I am anyway glad that you did not hear that absolutely improbable rumour." Yi Jonas could feel the greedy eyes of the woman hanging at her face, waiting for her reaction. She smiled an angelic smile and then looked up.

"Have you forgotten something? I think your husband is…"

The other woman spun around, her face tightening with anger for a moment. "No, I haven't," she said curtly. "He was supposed to be… Dear, why aren't you in the house? I told you I wouldn't take long, didn't I?"

"Xi…!" The small, worried-looking man wrung his hands as he looked at his wife, then quickly bowed to Yi Jonas. "Mrs. Jonas, what a pleasure to see you here. Has the Count already arrived?"

"No, we are still…"

"I am so sorry I kept you waiting."

They all spun around at the soft, unexpected voice. Count D bowed gracefully, if carefully to them. Mr. Shao couldn't suppress a gasp as he straightened up and the belly came into full view.

"I see that you are not at all surprised, Mrs. Shao," Count D said, a smile on his face. The woman slowly stood and looked at him coldly.

"No, indeed, I am not. After all you have already done, I am not surprised that you fell even farther from grace," she spat. "Another child by this _American_ – no, I am really not in the least surprised that you and your kind lost all power."

The Count's eyes seemed to glow for a moment. "Shao Xi, you have not learned your legends well," he said quietly, stepping inside the garden house. Without wanting to, everyone fixed their eyes on his graceful movements, which seemed not at all hindered by the fact that he was obviously short of birth. "One human alone, yes, he might be without power and protection in the world."

His eyes glowed more. "But I am not alone, Shao Xi."

Yi Jonas and the husband were silent while Mrs. Shao and the bodyguard laughed. The Count fixed his eyes on him. "Taizu," he said, easily changing to Japanese. "Have I not told you that I would kill you should any harm befall my family?"

The man took off his sunglasses and smirked at the kami. "You say a lot of things during a day, Count D," he snorted. "It is a pity that you aren't able to keep most of what you promise."

The Count's finger wandered to his lips, where it rested while the kami smiled. "Is that so, yes?" he murmured, and at the sound of his voice the two, who had seemed so sure of themselves, suddenly flinched. "Am I really unable to keep my promises?"

A low, growling sound seemed to fill the garden house all of a sudden. Mr. Shao started shaking uncontrollably, and Yi Jonas grabbed his arm. "Steady!" she hissed. But her eyes, too, were filled with fear.

The Count noticed, and kept his eyes on her as he slowly walked over to the woman. "Or have I merely, in my mercy, offered you a chance at keeping peace in my Chinatown by not acting against my wishes?" he murmured, extended one hand and gripped Yi Jonas' chin. Her eyes went wide. Then they rolled upwards and her knees buckled. The Count caught her easily and turned back to the three other humans. The smile was gone from his face now.

"The time of leniency is over," he said coldly. "What happens is what you have brought upon yourselves."

Rau Wu Fei lunged forward with a scream, trying to go at the Count's throat, but even as he moved, he was hit by a large shadow. Shao Xi screamed in fear.

"Go on, Tetsu. You have been waiting to taste him for two years." The Count's eyes, cold as stones, kept the Shao pair in trance while the totetsu growl-howled in triumph and buried his teeth in the man's throat, thus cutting off the desperate shouts. Bones cracked.

Then the animal looked up at its master, his fangs dripping with blood. "Shao Xi now, please," the Count's quiet voice ordered.

"NO!" The woman shrieked and fell to her knees in front of the kami. "No, Count, don't do this, please! Have mercy! Have mercy on me, I have a daughter just like you!"

"A daughter you used to pursue your own goals without ever asking for what she wanted. A daughter you forced to leave home in fear of you."

"I was wrong! Count, I swear, I will… AAAAAAAAAH!"

"You are getting tired, Grandson. Let me help you."

The man's eyes, which had been staring in horror and desperate helplessness at the mystic beast mauling his wife, snapped over to where a second figure, as graceful as the Count, had emerged from the shadows. Cold, golden eyes met a pleading face as the other kami took the unconscious body of Yi Jonas from Count D's arms.

"Is she dead, too?" a child's voice asked. Sobbing, the man fell to the ground as the third kami came into view and curiously touched Yi Jonas' hand.

Count D favoured the crying man with a defiant look before he turned to the child. "No, Dee, she isn't. And she will not die either," he replied.

"And what about him?" The child looked directly at the sobbing former husband of Shao Xi.

Count D turned back to him, his eyes resting on the crouched figure thoughtfully.

Then he crossed the blood-stained floor on soft feet and bent down to him. Cold, cold hands grabbed his chin and forced Mr. Shao to look up into hard mismatched eyes.

Time seemed to stretch into eternity as they looked at each other, one cold, one desperately crying.

"No," Count D said then and let go of his chin, turning from him. "This one does not die either." And over his shoulder he added, "Go to Europe, Shao Tien, to your daughter. This here is not your place anymore."

* * *

Leon looked at himself a last time in the mirror, trying to smooth his hair.

"You look perfect, Father," Kanan drawled, obviously bored by his hesitant attempts. She jumped from his desk and came over, pressing herself against his legs. "Go now, before it is too late."

Leon took a deep breath and looked down on her, then knelt, bringing them eye-to-eye. "Kanan – what am I about to do?" he asked helplessly. She stared at him for a moment, then gazed away.

"If nothing else, you are rescuing one man's life," she replied quietly. Leon's shoulders shook in mirthless amusement. "The life of a scum of the earth. Tell me why I am doing this, Kanan. Why I let D go."

She looked back at him and then embraced him wildly. "Because you're my father!" she whispered. "Because you had to. And now have you to be who you are!"

He chuckled mirthlessly at the fervour in her voice. "Do I? Okay, well then. Do you want your Daddy to do a good job today, Kanan?"

She let go and grinned at him, offering her hand. "Go and kick that bastard's ass, Dad!"

He high-fived her and then hurried out of the shop, calling "Bye!" to Dana and Pon-chan in passing. Dana answered something from inside he didn't get anymore, and then he was in the streets of Los Angeles, walking them perhaps for the last time in his life. Guilt, excitement, fear, anticipation curled in his guts and made them feel like on fire. Leon tried to push them aside and concentrate on what this meant. The last time he would be going this way. The last time he would be…

This city held so many memories, good and bad alike. He'd spent almost all his grown life here, had worked here, found friends, and most importantly, had met D here for the first time. D, the one who had turned his whole life, his view of the world, his morals and feelings – _everything_ upside-down. Had it been bad, this time?

No, not everything, Leon reflected. The rough times had been more than rough, true, and the good times not always as great as he'd have liked them to be, but it had been his life here. His last memories of his mother were tied to this city, as well as the first memories of Chris, Jill and Sandy…

He stopped in front of the precinct, taking a deep breath. The worst memory and the most difficult task of all was coming now.

He found Jill in their cubicle as expected. She looked up and smiled at him a little sadly. "So it's time, is it?" she asked quietly. Leon swallowed hard and nodded. _Oh god, Jill, please come out of this okay… please don't leave me hanging. _

She read his thoughts and winked at him. "Hey, everything's gonna be okay," she whispered, then stood up and said more loudly, "Don't be silly, Leon, just go as long as there's still time. I'm a grown woman. I can take care of myself. And Jamie's going to a day nursery soon. Don't worry about me, worry about D and your baby."

"You'll tell me if you really need help, won't you?" Leon asked, searching Jill's face. The woman nodded.

"Course I will. Now hurry up, better get out of here. I haven't seen Carter all day, he's probably up to something."

"How right you are, Detective Freshney," a cool voice cut in. Leon and Jill spun around to face the FBI-agent, followed by some of Leon's colleagues, who looked quite uncomfortable. "And I will immediately tell you what I am 'up to'. Leon Orcot, I arrest you for helping a wanted fugitive."

The blonde recovered from his shock. "What the hell? Who am I supposed to have helped?" he growled and snatched his hands away from the handcuffs Carter was trying to chain him with.

"Do you deny that Count D was involved in the death of Janet Williamson?" Carter hissed, his face contorting in fury.

Leon snarled. "That doesn't make him a wanted fugitive! Was her own damn fault that she stole his pet and it killed her!"

A smile so mean it was nearly a grimace flitted over Carter's face. "Oh, wasn't it!" he cooed. "And I'm quite sure he will get his payment for that. But I wasn't talking about him. Yet." He saw Leon's brow wrinkle and his eyes started glowing in fever. "No, what I was talking about was the woman who pretended to be Agent Langley." He put a photo onto Leon's desk. "A picture of you and her leaving the pet shop of your lover together. Do you not call that helping a wanted fugitive? Instead of arresting her, you even accompanied her to the train station."

The blonde detective stared at the photo. "Oh shit," he murmured.

Jill tried to get in between. "Now take it slow for a moment here! Who's telling you that this really is the woman who pretended to be Agent Langley more than four years ago?" she demanded and crossed her arms. Carter merely granted her a cool glimpse.

"Several officers are quite certain this is the same woman who drugged them under the disguise of an FBI-agent. You surely do not want to call your colleagues unreliable?"

Jill bit her lip and sent Leon a helpless glance. He shrugged ever so slightly and looked at his colleagues, who had gathered around rapidly. Most were whispering among themselves, sending Carter rebellious glares, some looking confused. Only Alex showed actual triumph at seeing Leon in this situation.

Handcuffs closed around Leon's wrists, but he had snatched his hands away before they could lock. "I don't think so, Agent Carter," he said calmly. "Jill, would you kindly give me the case file for Devon Carter?"

Jill smiled an angelic smile at the blustering agent, got up and handed the requested item to Leon. He opened it and in turn laid several photos onto the table.

"Why, Agent Carter, seems I'm not the only one who's been busy getting to know wanted fugitives. You don't happen to know that man's name, do you? Pity. It's Rau Wu Fei, or Taizu, if you prefer the name of his Tokyo times, where he was a triad boss and later imprisoned. Unfortunately the Japanese prisons weren't able to hold him; he escaped to Los Angeles a year ago."

Leon stopped, looked down on the pictures pensively for a moment, then up at Carter. The man was trembling with fury, and his surprise would wear off any moment. Quickly Leon pushed something other over the table. "Oh, and let's not forget this here! My personal favourite. You and Mr. Rau Wu Fei in Mrs. Shao's house, having a nice teatime chat. Simply wonderful, isn't it?"

"Where did you get these photos from?" the agent exploded, snatching them up. Leon's colleagues gathered more tightly, whispering amongst themselves and hiding grins. The chief turned up behind Jessica and Eliza. Only Alex looked scandalised. "Have you been spying on me, you imbecile? You could've ruined all of my undercover work, you stupid -!"

"That's not undercover work," Leon interrupted harshly. "What you're doing there is plotting with both of those triad members. You don't think so?" he added, seeing Carter's face darken and his mouth open to protest. "Well, what about this here?"

_"… hasn't left his hiding place for weeks, Agent, but I assure you, we will get him. It shouldn't take us too long, and I promise to leave something for you so you can have your fun with him."_

_"I hope so. I didn't cover up your tracks to in the end get nothing out of it."_

_"But, Agent! Rau Wu Fei is an honest businessman, he would never think of betraying you!"_

_"Yeah, as if. Too stupid to get his hands on him earlier, that's what he is!"_

_"Hold your tongue, Agent. You will get him, and you will get three millions, too. That should be more than enough to make sure your brother can have…"_

Leon stopped the tape, feeling cold fury coil in his stomach again. Ten-chan had been able to record that tape only yesterday. Yesterday. Their odds were still pretty bad, even with the photos, even with everything else, but…

"Are you trying to blackmail me, Detective Orcot?" Carter's eyes were on fire. "Well, two can play at this game. What about me handing over a certain letter to your superior – how convenient that he's obviously decided to watch this little charade of yours! Trying to bring an FBI-agent low? You need more for that than a few photos and a tape you could have made yourself."

That was exactly what Leon had feared would happen. There was more proof, of course, but the proof was at the moment locked up in Mrs. Shao's house. Ten-chan and Norma hadn't been able to smuggle that much out.

"But can I also make up your writing?" he provoked and pulled a piece of paper from the case file. It was a quick note from Carter to Mrs. Shao, telling her to meet him as soon as possible, time and day included.

"Copied," Carter snorted disparagingly. "I might also let slip to child services that your little daughter has spent a few too many playtimes at this precinct…"

There was rumour amongst his colleagues. Most of them looked scandalised now, but also worried. Some angry. Of course, not everyone had gotten to know that Dana had been here so often, and Leon knew fucking well what this could result in…

"Isn't that a bit late?" he smirked. "I mean, it's so long since – where are you gonna find proof that I indeed had Dana here to watch her?"

Carter's eyes started gleaming again. "Oh, I only need to ask someone who sure won't be too much bothered about giving testimony to this. After all, Gavin McGallen would be more than happy to testify that little Dana was with you when you arrested him…"

Ouch. Leon gritted his teeth, ignored Jessica's "He _really_ took her along? I thought he was _joking_!"

"Well, yeah, I don't doubt he'd make up a lot of things to get back at the one who arrested him for killing Laura Miller -"

"Stop this shit! Now!" Alex yelled and stepped in between them. "This isn't a dick-waving contest, dammit! Just arrest him, we _know_ he's guilty, and I'm gonna testify for it, too!"

The cry was at first so quiet that they didn't hear it through all the uproar that followed Alex' statement, but then Leon caught sight of the small man who was trying to make his way through the mass of police officers. He was crying quietly, his face smudged with tears. There were red stains on his clothes.

Leon's stomach churned as he jumped forward just in time to catch the man. "Are you okay? Sir?" he asked, concerned. The others quieted down a bit.

The man sobbed, nodded and then looked up at Leon, despair in his rather beautiful dark eyes. They reminded him of someone –

"I am the witness you need, Detective Orcot," he said, his voice breaking with each word. "My name is Shao Tien. I am Shao Xi's husband, and I am the witness for this man's dealings with both my wife and the wanted fugitive Rau Wu Fei."

Leon almost dropped him, but managed to keep his hold on him, his eyes wide and his mouth forming silent words. Shao Tien looked away, crying harder, his body shaking in Leon's arms. "Alive," he sobbed. "He left me alive…"

Probably nobody else understood the words, since Carter had turned to flee, aided by Alex, and the others were holding him back and the chief's voice boomed over all this, saying, "Agent Devon Carter, I arrest you for betrayal and conspiracy. You have the right to remain silent, and _dammit, Donovan, try that once more and you'll be suspended!"_

Shao Tien grabbed Leon's arm and looked him straight in the eyes, his tears finally subsiding. "He let me live, Orcot-san," he whispered, choking on the words. "He told me to go to Europe and look for my daughter."

His eyes beseeched the American to answer to this – to tell him why the Count, the avenger, the feared god, had let him live – but Leon could not. He could not find words.

Instead he silently helped the man to his chair and organised a glass of water while Jessica ran to fetch everything required to take the man's statement and Jill merely gazed at Leon, her eyes wide. She understood, and he knew she was probably wondering the same thing as he: why?

But then, he didn't really have to ask, did he? He knew bloody well why D would do something like this – spare this poor, wretched piece of human, just like he'd spared Lin, in a way.

"Do you really want to testify against your wife?" Jessica asked, her eyes wide, as she sat down to take his statement. Shao Tien nodded, keeping a deathgrip on the waterglass.

"Yes, I do," he said quietly. "It doesn't matter anyway; she is dead."

Another shocked gasp could be heard, over it in the distance Carter's angry "LET ME GO!" The chief spun around to look at the man. "Dead?" he asked sharply. "How did that happen?"

Shao Tien didn't look at Leon as he answered, his voice now steadier than before. "My wife and Rau Wu Fei went to a dog fight this evening. They brought the winner home. They must have teased him or something like this – when I heard the noise and came, it was already too late…"

"Are you telling me we've got a fight dog running loose and blood-thirsty in the city?" the chief demanded, his hands meeting the table. Shao Tien nodded and hid his face in his hands, murmuring something in Chinese. The chief turned to Leon. He didn't seem to see the look Jill sent Leon, half desperate, half unbelieving. "Orcot! Get someone who can deal with that, I don't care who, the Count, a keeper, a zoo assistant, I don't care!" he bellowed.

Leon ducked his head and fled.

* * *

**A/N: **I hope the wait was worth it ^^**  
**

x: Well, the whole idea of the pet shop is creepy... so I guess creeping you out a bit is kinda inavoidable if I want to get it right - and I didn't even make that up myself if we look at the end of vol. 10, so it's not really my fault, is it? ;-)  
No, probably not xD But I fully agree with you that Tetsu might in some cases have solved the whole problems a lot quicker than Ten xD  
I for my share think D knows - I mean, Leon practically forbade him to kill Devon Carter, that doesn't leave that much room for interpretation, does it?**  
**


	44. Goodbye?

**Goodbye?**

The door closed quietly behind her. Jill sagged against it and heaved up a deep sigh. It was… four-thirty in the morning, and she was alone. Alone. Not even Jamie was here, he was at her mother's hotel room, although she hadn't understood why Jill didn't want to have him here tonight…

Tiredly she rubbed her face. No, as much as she loved both James and her mother, she could not face either of them right now.

Alex' face appeared in her head, his mouth open and spilling insults against everyone in reach – the chief, Eliza, Jill, until the chief had made short work and fired him. That was that. But she could still hear the words in her ears, echoing like mad.

_"I can't believe you were so damn fucking stupid, sending out Orcot of all people to get someone for that goddamned dog! Orcot, for fuck's sake, and now he's run and we won't ever be able to find him again, you stupid idiots, you traitors, you…"_

She had tried not to look too surprised when Jessica called Leon's cellphone and he didn't take it up. She had tried not to look too sad when Eliza brought the news that the pet shop was as empty as it could be. And she had tried to act as stunned as all her colleagues when they finally realised that both Leon and the Count were gone. Just gone, like someone had dusted them off the face of the earth.

She sat down on the floor, burying her face in her arms and trying to stay calm and cool. But she couldn't. It had just been too much. She knew that she shouldn't have been surprised when Shao Tien suddenly turned up; she had been there when they had all planned this ambush together. They had thought about the housemaid, who had been privy to Mrs. Shao's secret, too, but Shao Tien… and with such news…

Jill moaned. She could feel the fear for the first time – the very real fear of Count D, the same the Chinese who knew about his secret had to feel. She had known, just like Leon, that when he said he would punish them he had meant that he would kill them. And she had approved. She had actually approved! Worried to death about Leon and D and Dana and the baby and all the things that might happen to them if those two humans stayed alive, she had thought, in some part of her heart, that it wasn't that much of a loss. After all, she had experienced Mrs. Shao during the investigations for Poison Cave, and the woman had been the most despicable person she had _ever_ met, but now…!

She thought about Shao Lin, somewhere in Europe, who had fled rather than staying at her parents' house, because of her mother. She thought about Shao Tien, sitting in the precinct and giving his statement with a clear voice although tears continued to flow down his cheeks.

She now understood why Leon had broken up with D. What she didn't understand was why he had gone away with him now.

Beginning to cry, she hit the floor with her fist, hard. Life was so damn fucking unfair sometimes. Life just had no right to be like this. Life had no right to ruin something as special and beautiful as Leon and D with such ugly, bitter things!

She was sobbing uncontrollably now. If she just could have done something to change all this, anything. She would do anything to change what it was now, with Leon and D gone and her all alone with just Jamie and nothing – no pet shop to go to after work, no D to joke with, no Leon to make fun at together, no Dana, looking at her with so much love, no "Auntie Jill!"

How could D, who was such a gentle being sometimes, be so cruel? How could he kill without a moment's doubt? And how could he let someone like Shao Tien live – with all the pain, all the memories of his wife, with _everything_?

"Life is so fucking unfair!" she screamed into her dark apartment, giving a damn about her neighbours. She didn't care, she just wanted – she just wanted it to be like in the old times, when Leon had still been grousing about D at any given chance, although everyone knew he was secretly in love with him, and Chris had been here, and she'd not been a damn single mother!

The doorbell rang and Jill jerked up, hastily wiping the tears from her cheeks. A silly hope spread in her. Could it be that they – couldn't they at least take her with them? They knew how much Jill loved all of them, knew how much they were her family…

The door opened. Ten-chan, who had been leaning against the frame with crossed arms, slowly looked up. His eyes were a funny shade of green. She had never really noticed his eye colour. Always just the way they twinkled with mischief.

He pushed himself up, his long braid dancing once freed. "Hi," he said. Jill looked at him, grabbing the doorhandle so hard her knuckles were white. Ten's eyes darkened a little bit in sadness. "I know how you feel, Jill, believe me," he said quietly, taking a step towards her. "I know. It's – you have to understand, the Count – he's not like me. Not like you either, or like Leon. He doesn't _think_ if a death is justified or not. If he kills, a death is."

"Because he is a god?" Jill asked, her hand grabbing even tighter. Ten nodded, his face serious. "Yes. He's a god. Whatever he does, it's justified. When he kills, that human deserved death. When he lets live, that human deserved to live. There is no right or wrong about him. It's all just him."

"It's not!" she yelled suddenly and dropped her voice again. Screaming through the whole corridor, that was just… "It's not. He could have let them live. All of them, not just Shao Tien."

"No, he couldn't," the shapeshifter said, still very serious. "He is a god, Jill. He doesn't get to choose such things. Actually a lot more people should and could be dead by now – a lot more than you and Leon would even like to imagine." He took a deep breath. "That they are not is your fault or your credit, however you want to look at it. You see, you kept him from doing his duty like he is supposed to. Like he has to."

"So Leon's going to have to put up with D killing for the rest of his lifetime, doesn't he?" she said, the words choking her.

Ten-chan's eyes lit up a little bit as he smiled. "Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know, Jill-san. They have to live for the moment, for what they have now. And if it changes again in a year, or a month, or ten years – well, they will have to deal with it then. What matters is that for now, they are together and safe and they are happy with it." He hesitantly extended a hand and touched her cheek. "You've been crying."

She turned her head away and his hand dropped. "What are you doing here?"

He hesitated, suddenly unsure. "I… I know I'm not the man you've been waiting for, and surely not the good man you deserve, but…"

"Are you going to kill the ones who discover your secret, too? Are you going to force me to make decisions I don't want to make, too?" Her voice was bitter, and she knew already when she said it that it wasn't like this – that she, in Leon's shoes, probably would have done similar things, would have acted similarly, perhaps even more decidedly than Leon…

She suspected, not for the first time, that this was the real curse about humans and gods in love. That one usually had to justify his actions towards the other, while the other just couldn't be judged – not by the standards the gods extracted over humans, at least.

She was getting a headache from all this.

The fox was still watching her. She looked up at him, realising he'd not answered her question. "Well, are you?" she demanded sharply. Ten laughed a little helplessly and extended his hands.

"Jill, I'm a nine-tailed fox. I deal with gods and humans alike – but hell if I always know how to deal with everything! And I'm sure as hell not a god myself. I can be judged by my actions, however wrong or right they may be."

If Leon's frustration with D was only half as much as Jill's with Ten, she didn't know why in fucking hell he had gone with him.

She didn't know either why in fucking hell she was in Ten-chan's arms, sobbing and laughing alike and kissing him like it was the only thing in the world that mattered right now.

Perhaps, in that moment, it was.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow, we've almost reached the last chapter now ^^ Just one left... I never thought I'd make it that far, truth be told, what with my rather poor timing at updating... ^^'

x: What else can I say but "Thank you" :-) ? I really very much enjoy your comments, and I do very much hope that you'll keep on reading till the last chapter, too :-)


	45. Like It Began

_Amazingly enough, I made it to the very last chapter of **Unchangeable**. Kinda strange it feels. This story, starting with **Unwanted**, has been my more or less constant companion since 2008 - considering that it's now freakin' 2011, that's a very long time. A very, very long time. I've been told that my process as a writer is visible in both the storylines and my style (and I really do hope it is, else that'd mean I haven't learned anything), however, for me it's not quite as clear as it might be for other people. _

_Other people meaning you, reading this now, whether you've been following the ICP from the very beginning or just stumbled upon them a week ago. The encouragement I've received from my readers was far beyond everything I could ever have imagined, and I'm very grateful for that. I hope I managed to give you a good time in return, and be assured that I treasure each review, each mail and each pm I've received. _

_The chapter title is... well, not quite wrong, but neither quite right. "Like it began", maybe in many ways, but in just as many not. It's certainly not the same "like it began" when I started this series. I didn't even know then that it would become a series. But I definitely had just as much fun writing this last chapter as I had "when it began". And thus, I've gotta give a warning ahead: the little devil other people might call my muse has been whispering bad things in my ear again - and so, for those of you (and I know there are some) who are squicked by everything going on during a birth, stop reading here ########## and don't start again until you see %%%%%%%%. Do we have a deal? ;-)_

_And to the rest of you, to all of you, in fact, have fun with the last chapter and thank you for staying on-board during all this time. _

_Yours, Enaty_

_P.S. x: Well, it's probably the easier way ;-) Thus they don't have to deal with their partner right away... which can actually be a blessing, can't it? As for D and his godly wrath, yes, there's probably not much sense in not leaving witnesses. However, from Leon's or Jill's point of view, having a witness to testify against D - not quite the most comfortable thought ever, is it? And might as well go with the fox? Oh dear xD I really thought I'd managed to portray them as sweet little lovers...  
Thank you very much. For all the reviews, for reading, and well, if you want to, feel free to contact me :-)  
_

* * *

**Like It Began**

Leon turned from the rail and sighed deeply. "Jill is never going to forgive me," he said, depressed. "Not only for leaving her alone, but also – I saw her face when Shao Tien came in. D, she has to hate you now, and me, too. I wish she could understand…"

D smiled at him. "Are you sure?" he asked, the smile growing more secret. "You know, I walked through the shop before we left. For some reason I couldn't find Ten-chan…"

Leon gaped at him. "You're kidding!" he blurted. "I thought she didn't want him!"

"Well, what we say and what we do are often very different things." D laughed, taking Leon's hand and squeezing his hand. "Aren't we best proof of that, Leon?"

The human regarded him somewhat wearily. "I guess we are, D. You know, I really thought this would be a little more exciting – I mean, all the fuss you always make about this shop and ship…"

D giggled and pinched him. He seemed to be in quite the girlish mood today, and Leon tried not to roll his eyes at him. Was this really the D who had left the shop a mere eight hours ago to kill several humans? Was this really the D who…?

The D in question turned up to Leon and smiled at him. Love was shining from his eyes and face, clear as the moon above them. Boy, what he'd told the chief must have been the worst lie of his life! Figured D's mystery out, as if!

"I promise we will go back and visit Jill soon, and then I will talk to her and explain," D said, his face open and soft. "And I don't think that she actually hates any of us. She knew that we were going to leave, and she knew as well as you did what I was going to do. She is an admirable woman, and she will be able to understand. Perhaps not immediately, but in time…"

He wanted to say something else, but his face suddenly took on a stunned expression. His free hand flew to his mouth to suppress a whimper. Jill and everything else were swept from Leon's mind as he grabbed his lover by the shoulders. "D? What's the matter?"

Following the kami's gaze to the deck, he noticed the glistening liquid on the planks. "But – last time it was completely different," D said, sounding both stunned and helpless.

Leon groaned. "D, not that I wanna sound mean, but you for sure choose bad times to give birth. Where's Q-chan?"

He tugged D along, one arm slung around his shoulder while looking for the eldest frantically. "I do not choose when the baby is being born," D protested weakly, and Leon felt him cringe with a contraction.

"Well, then your kids aren't good at timing," he replied, nervousness taking hold of him. Where _was_ Q-chan when you needed him for a change?

D gasped and cramped one hand around Leon's arm. "They are your children, too," he gritted out. Leon finally spotted the eldest kami and called out to him. Sofu turned, grasped the situation at once and hurried to them.

"Do you have a favour for giving birth while fleeing? Get to the bedroom, and you, Orcot, get hot water and Dee. Good heavens, your timing is horrible," he ordered.

His grandson glared at him while Leon had to hide a grin. "Of all the times to share one opinion," the younger kami complained and then cried out.

"Hurry, Orcot!"

Leon let go of D and ran to the kitchen where he found Tetsu already busy with heating some water. Honlon was hovering beside him, Junrei babbling away. "Just like the last time, only that Leon's here now!" she just cried out happily when the blonde entered. The totetsu sent her an exasperated glare and handed Leon some fresh towels.

"Here, take them to the bedroom," he said. "I'll bring the water as soon as it's hot. Dee's on his way, he just checked on Dana with Pon-chan."

"Is she awake?" Leon asked, considering looking after his daughter, too. Tetsu nodded.

"Yeah, but we're gonna keep her out of the bedroom until you call her in," he said. "Good luck. And shame on you if you don't do your best to help him."

Leon wanted to snap, but at that moment he caught Tetsu's eyes. They were smiling at him. Then the totetsu laid one hand onto his arm and squeezed it. "'S good you're here," he said gruffly and quickly turned back to the hotplates.

"Thanks," Leon replied, stunned, then shook himself and went back to D's bedroom. He sat the towels down on the small table and went to the bed to sit beside D, who was cringing and writhing on the sheets. He smiled up at his lover, sweat rolling down his brow, a feverish glance in his eyes.

"Hey, darling," Leon said softly and took his hands. "Can I do anything for you?"

"Don't give me any sweets now," D choked and grabbed his hands, pressing them so hard Leon could hear the bones cracking. He felt incredibly helpless and desperately wished he could help D somehow. But he couldn't even muster the nerve to smile at D's little joke.

Sofu looked up from setting out various items and patted Leon's shoulder in sympathy, barely able to hide his amusement at his obvious discomfort. "It looks like it is going to be a quick birth," he assured both the human and his grandson. "Much quicker than Dana, in any case. Do not worry, so far everything is going fine."

Leon couldn't quite decide if D whimpered because another contraction took hold of him or because he was afraid of a birth as hard as Dana's. Which, if Tetsu's judgement was anything to go by, had been very long and incredibly painful for D. The blonde desperately hoped that this one was going to be easier, and, if he was honest, not only for D's sake. He knew he couldn't stand seeing him in pain for twenty hours or more. And he would have to. He couldn't just go out and leave D to fend for himself.

"Leon?" the kami in question gasped and pulled himself up a little bit so he could look his lover.

"Yeah, I'm here, D. Nothing to worry 'bout."

D's sweaty face changed to amused. "I'm not worried, Leon. Not about… ouch! Not about the birth, at least!" He cried out again. Sofu swept by, murmuring angrily under his breath. The door opened and let Dee inside, whose eyes were blazing with excitement.

"I want to watch! This time I really want to watch!"

His father's head thumped back onto the cushion. "Oh, great!" he groaned. "Who is going to steer the ship now?"

"Are you in a hurry to reach someplace?" Sofu asked, giving Dee a considering look. D sighed and relented, then turned back to his lover, his eyes wide.

"Leon, we still haven't decided on a _name_!" he said somewhat desperately.

Leon gaped at him, unable to believe what he was hearing. "D, are you nuts? Can't that wait until it's born?" he pleaded, knowing that he wasn't going to be any good at choosing children's names now. His hands were shaking with fright and his mind wiped clean.

"Please, Leon, please!" D pleaded and his head fell to the side as he moaned. For some reason, at that moan, something in Leon's trousers twitched. He quickly intertwined his legs, blushing slightly. That – what the hell was _wrong_ with him? D was giving birth, D was not…

"Leon!" the kami mewled.

"Okay, okay! Lemme think!" Leon taxed his head and finally came up with a few names. "Desirée. Or Damon, or – or Daisy, or, what's-it-spelled, Desmonda."

"No girl names!" D protested instantly and managed to pull himself far enough up to glare at Leon. "It is a boy, Detective Orcot. A _boy_. And yes, I am _sure_ of it!"

Oh. Why did D always get what he wanted?

Leon sighed and resigned himself to that. "David. Daniel. Dario."

D shook his head frantically. "Aren't there any pretty human names with D for a boy?" he complained, sounding slightly out of breath. Leon was anyway amazed at his ability to keep talking while he was in this state. He was starting to feel it too, now, the cramps that seemed to tear his abdomen apart, and he cringed slightly.

"Dai?" he suggested, trying to breathe slowly and steadily. He couldn't let D hang like this. He had to shoulder his part of it.

D miaowed, but then a smile spread over his face and he nodded. "Yes, Dai," he sighed. "Beloved. That's a good… oh my god!"

This time Leon could feel it, too. A strong, sudden surge of… what the _heck_? … lust, so claiming, so demanding that he couldn't do anything else but shudder with it…

"Splendid!" he heard and looked up to see the eldest staring down at him through a haze of desire. He looked not amused.

"D?" he gasped and tried to look at his lover. It didn't help his condition; D's eyes were as unfocused and hazy as his, and the signs of his arousal were even more obvious than Leon's, since he was – well, naked. Because he was, dammit all to hell and back, giving birth to a child! This really was _not_ the time or place or – anything!

The kami miaowed again and looked at him helplessly. "I – I don't know either!" he choked out. "Oh!"

Quite unceremoniously Sofu parted their hands and shook Leon roughly. "Wake up, human!" he hissed. Leon fought him off.

"I _am_ awake!" he protested. "How in hell would I manage to _sleep_ in a situation like this?"

"He's got a point there, Grandfather…"

"You are silent!" Sofu growled at his grandson, took in both their appearance, Dee's stunned eyes, and looked like he really wanted to disappear. His face torn by disgust, he let go of Leon and instead covered the youngest' ears with his hands.

"Well, we have two choices," he said through gritted teeth. "Either you over-stimulate the nerves in my grandson's body or you leave this room until the birth is over."

D didn't look like he was getting any more of this explanation than Leon, so the human dared to ask. "Uh – what the hell are you talking about?"

Sofu nodded at their obvious… problems. "I am, of course, talking about _this_," he hissed. "Your arousal. Pain and pleasure travel along the same nerves. The pain my grandson is feeling is too much for his body…"

"Huh?" Leon blinked at the eldest in confusion. But D, despite his condition, seemed to have caught on what his grandfather was saying.

"Leon!" he hissed. "I can _feel_ it! I can feel the baby – aah!"

"Oh shit!"

Finally Leon understood, too. Fuck! And he had been so happy about those nerves in there during sex with D! He turned accusing eyes on the eldest. "Why?" he claimed. "What about Dana?"

"Well, you were not there." Sofu, seeing their expressions, seemed to start finding this amusing, although his hands were still firmly over Dee's ears. "The pain could go nowhere else, it could not be replaced in someone else, thus it was so overpowering that it simply overrode the sexual stimulation." His face got devilish. "But now you can share the physical pain with each other, thus it isn't strong enough to override –"

Leon and D groaned in synch. "And what are we going to do now?" D nearly screamed, the words coming in time with another contraction.

Sofu was just so short of laughing. His mouth was twitching. "Well, like I said. Either you leave this room – or you over-stimulate the nerves to the point where they will not react to either pain or pleasure anymore."

"Oh, _fuck_!"

Leon blinked and looked at his lover. D's head had fallen back onto the cushion. Then he raised it again and snarled at his surprised mate. "_What?_ Do you think I'm happy about the prospect of us having sex during a birth _and_ with my grandfather and son watching?"

The human gulped. "You – you aren't…"

D's face was torn with the conflicting feelings. Leon was in a bad state already, and he knew it, but for D it had to be even worse, since he was feeling it all first-hand.

"Are we in this together or not?" the kami hissed, his eyes screaming murder. "_You_ were the one who wanted this child!"

Leon looked back to Sofu, who was wearing a smug expression, probably thinking that the human would rather flee than…

A devilish smile crossed his face, too, as he bent over the kami. "Well then, D, let's go!" he whispered.

And they did.

* * *

Tetsu stopped in front of the assembly of pets that had gathered in front of the Count's bedroom door. "What the hell?" he asked, baffled. Pon-chan wordlessly motioned him closer, close enough to hear the sounds coming through the door.

"Oooooh! Leon, please…!" A deep-throated moan sounded through the door. Tetsu's jaw fell.

"What the fuck are they _doing_ in there?" he screeched, his voice overturning. Pon-chan looked back at him, her eyes wide and confused.

"I have no idea," she said, stunned. "But I know one thing: _that_ doesn't sound like giving birth to me!"

* * *

_This wasn't so bad after all. _

Leon moaned in response to D. It wasn't like the kami was doing much of… well, sex, himself, since he was preoccupied with other things as well, but if it was this or watching D in immense pain – well, Leon knew what he'd rather go for.

##################################################################################################

He let go of D's left nipple to steal a kiss from the open, panting mouth again, making D whimper in ecstasy. Sofu had long since made sure that Dee didn't get a too-good look at the events by drawing the ferns in front of D's bed, but Leon would just bet that the boy was still looking.

Real sex was of course out of the question. Someone else was coming through that channel.

Didn't matter.

Happily Leon got on with what he'd been doing, which consisted mostly of stroking and licking D's breasts and rhythmically pumping his cock, trying to tune his movements in with the contractions that were wrecking D's body in a steady, fast rhythm. He was pretty glad now that he'd gotten some exercise at that during the last few weeks. Came in handy now.

D seemed to think so, too. "Oh my _god_!" he yelled, which Leon thought highly fitting, since D _was_ a god.

"Gimme a kiss, c'mon, will ya?" he murmured throatily and felt his own cock respond as the kami crushed him to his chest and nearly tried to choke him with his tongue. "Oh!"

"Leon, please, I have to – the baby!" D panted as his head fell back onto the cushions. Oh yeah, right. So, no time to savour this anymore…

D's hand grabbed him, making Leon startle a little. The mismatched eyes held his as the kami began to reciprocate what Leon was doing to him. Usually he would have fought the pleasure for a little while, but this time…

D screamed, a long, wailing sound as if someone was tearing him apart. Leon tried to keep himself from collapsing on his chest, and he succeeded partly, insofar as he managed to roll to the side. For a second, he closed his eyes, trying to come down from doubtlessly the strangest orgasm he'd ever had in his life.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Then he hurriedly sat up again, looking at D's face anxiously. The kami was still holding his hand, but his face was relaxed and happy. Leon looked downwards, to where Sofu was trying to ignore them and…

"Oh!" D made softly. His body convulsed again, a last time, and almost without a sound, the baby slipped out of him.

Sofu quickly freed the child's face of all the… stuff Leon didn't want to think about. The kid sneezed three times.

Then the miracle happened. Sofu was looking at the baby in one moment, face as if made of stone.

And suddenly he threw his head back and started to laugh.

Leon and D stared. Dee came in through the leaves and asked, "Is everything alright, Grandfather?"

The eldest quickly got a grip on himself again, but his eyes still blazed with amusement. "This," he announced gravely, lifting the baby up, "is for sure the most remarkable birth I have ever witnessed. By the way, you were right, Grandson. It is indeed a boy. And now, human, do us all a favour and cut the string."

He handed Leon a sharp knife and the human did as he was told, still stunned.

"Well, he seems to be a lot quieter than his sister, if this continued silence is anything to go by. What an unexpected blessing," Sofu commented, carrying the boy over to the tub of water to clean him with the help of Dee while Leon turned his attention back to his lover.

They looked at each other.

Then they started laughing, too.

"Well, I guess he is right," D giggled, snuggling into Leon as the human carefully tucked the covers around their naked bodies. Well, D's naked body. There hadn't been enough time to take his clothes off. Not all of them, anyway. "This was definitely the weirdest birth I ever witnessed, too."

"Definitely the most fun birth," Leon agreed, grinning down at him. "Those nerves down there _are_ good for something…"

D let his head fall back as he again laughed. "Obviously. But don't start getting any ideas in your head now, Leon. I for my share am not too intent on repeating this too soon again."

"Shame," the blonde replied, face showing disappointment. He couldn't hold up the mask for long and started giggling again. "Oh god, wait till I tell Jill! She's not gonna believe it!"

"You are not -"

"Are you interested in saying hello to your new child or not?" Sofu inquired, eyebrow raised. Guiltily D turned to him and carefully took the child from his arms. The giddy excitement and joy from seconds before erased as he looked down on his son. Leon at his side cleared his throat. Dai in turn blinked up at his parents curiously.

"Hey, blue eyes, too," Leon said and grinned a little foolishly. "Hi Dai. Welcome to this world. You've had quite the weird start, but it'll get more normal from now on, I promise." He took the boy's hand and shook it, much to D's amusement.

"Don't promise too much, Leon," he warned, but didn't sound as if he really meant it. "After all, he will have to live in this shop with us all."

Then his eyes went wide and he rose, causing Leon to grab him. "Dana!" the young kami exclaimed. "Oh dear, she will be waiting to see her little brother!"

Dee grinned and went to open the door, revealing a group of pets, who were looking at them with the strangest expression ever on their faces. D and Leon blushed and tried to look inconspicuous. Tetsu looked at them and shook his head. "Well, you always have to do things the weirdest way possible, don't you?" he remarked dryly. "Wait till I tell Ten-chan what he missed!"

Leon and D blushed even more. Tetsu grinned and bent down to shake someone in the middle of the cluster. "Just be glad that Dana slept through the whole thing," he said, shaking the girl awake. "Dana, wake up. Your brother has been born," he whispered.

The girl stirred sleepily, then her eyes snapped open and she scrambled to her feet. "I wanna see him!" she cried and came running into the bedroom, all pets in tow. The embarrassment vanished. Leon laughed and helped her crawl onto the bed. Dana froze. She stared at the baby, D turning slightly so she could get a good look at her brother. Leon nudged her.

"So, whaddya say? We did a good job?" he asked, caught D's eyes and bit back a laugh that threatened to break forward.

Dana nodded, her hand searching her father's. Leon grasped it. "You don't have to be shy, sweetie. He's your brother," he urged and the girl hesitantly extended a hand to stroke Dai's head, covered by fluffy black hair.

"Hi," she whispered shyly. Leon smiled at D, his gaze wandering over the pets to the Count and Dee. To his astonishment, the eldest had placed both of his hands on the younger's shoulders and was holding him tight, even allowing the child to lean into him. He, too, looked peaceful and happy.

So, what could he say? He'd probably chosen all this for himself. The weirdest lover the world could offer, the strangest children any father would ever have to deal with, the most bitchy grandfather-in-law the world had ever seen; all in all, the most chaotic life one could imagine. Everything in the superlative. Paralleling the supernatural.

Leon didn't care one bit.

Instead he cleared his throat and smiled mischievously. "Must be really cold in hell right now," he murmured into D's ear. The kami turned his head up to stare at him in confusion.

"Excuse me? What in all heavens are you thinking now?"

The expression on his face made Leon laugh loudly. He took Dai's tiny hand again and placed it in D's, did the same with Dana's, then encircled all hands with his own.

"Because, you know, I once swore an oath that I wouldn't end up with you if hell froze over. Seems like it's gonna be a cold night down there tonight."

-End-


End file.
